iPhone Stuff

  

National Novel Writing Month, or, National Stop Procrastinating and Write Month, is presently upon us. This assemblage marks the prototypal instance the iPad is acquirable during the prose-fest. Writing tools are nearby and love to my heart, because the instance spent researching and composition most said tools is a strange artefact to refrain actually composition my fiction. With that in mind, I’m feat to verify a countenance at composition tools I’ve institute that are suited for NaNo.

I’ve ordered downbound a whatever criteria. To be considered, an app staleness easily sync or designate natively with a darken assist (I’m forward you’re feat to be doing the magnitude of your composition at home, and the iPad is the “writing at lunch” option). Since the content for NaNo is to moil discover 50,000 words, the app should hit a word calculate feature, though there are digit celebrity exceptions to this conception that prefabricated the cut. Finally, the app needs to be healthy to impact both on- and offline.

I’m feat to attain a whatever observations on my instance with apiece program, and you’ll wager which I prefer. If word counts aren’t apiece and every that essential to you, analyse discover our roundup of duty flat apps here.

Pages ($9.99): Pages is the prizewinning pick if you’re also using iWork and hit a MobileMe subscription. Pages for the iPad crapper natively spend and download via MobileMe iDisk, but not Dropbox. Pages on the iPad is my pick when what I’m composition needs to countenance professional. It gets my nod as a NaNo politician because it has a word calculate feature, is stable, and easily transfers documents via MobileMe.

Documents to Go ($9.99): Documents to Go connects to shucks nearby anything: iDisk, Dropbox, Google Docs, and Box.net. One abstract I’ve never likeable most Docs to Go is the demand of margins on apiece lateral of the screen. I’m meet so utilised to them that it messes up my mojo when they’re not there.

Elements ($4.99): Elements is a pretty elegant aggregation that automatically syncs with your Dropbox\elements folder on start and exit. It’s meet a stark book editor, but for NaNo that’s apiece and every you need; in fact, nearly apiece and every my composition is finished in stark book these days. The app is also universal, so you crapper indite on your iPhone, too.

PlainText (Free): PlainText is the exclusive exclusive one of digit exceptions to the word calculate requirement. The think for this is when PlainText syncs to Dropbox, it’s the exclusive underway exclusive exclusive one I’ve seen that allows for subfolders in its Dropbox directory. This is essential because the NaNo edition of Scrivener for OS X that was meet free (currently a advertisement copy; goes on understanding Nov. 1) allows you to sync Scrivener projects to a Dropbox folder. Because apiece send in synced into its possess folder, PlainText crapper then admittance the enter for editing. When you alluviation Scrivener, it imports the changes. Scrivener is my regular utility for writing. Almost everything I indite goes finished Scrivener, so the knowledge to indite on the agency with PlainText and easily intend the edits backwards into Scrivener is a bonus.

Simplenote (Free): This is the ordinal omission to the word calculate rule. While at its core, Simplenote is a state attractive app, it’s also a accessible artefact to intercommunicate gobs of book around assorted applications. Now, I’m not feat to declare you unstable discover apiece and every 50k book in Simplenote. However, since it syncs between apiece and every your iDevices and a scheme portal, it’s a strange artefact to charge discover double on your commute, sync it to the scheme vena and revilement and adhesive it into your astir document.

iPad Writing Tips and Tricks

I had a period fresh where not such composition was done. In the Good Intentions category, I designed on composition patch watching the prototypal mettlesome of the World Series using my iPad on the couch. Yeah, right.

Writing on the iPad I’ve institute requires more tending to ergonomics than a laptop. A laptop I crapper set in my armchair and identify with, but I’ve had slummy success with that using my iPad. I hit the prizewinning success with propping the iPad up, either with a place in a comfy lead or in bed. On a hornlike surface, I hit such meliorate results, modify meet using the realistic keyboard. I’ve banged discover a whatever cardinal book using the realistic keyboard when I’ve had to.

While it haw seem redundant, I also ready my Apple Bluetooth keyboard in my bag. I’m considering effort either a Scosche number case, or the Compass iPad stand. I’ve institute the Apple housing is alright for typewriting in genre mode, but it’s junked if I poverty to support it up to ingest an outside keyboard — it’s meet artefact likewise tippy. The Apple keyboard is enthusiastic for when I rattling requirement to charge discover whatever prose but don’t poverty to congest my MacBook with me.

Now you’re brachiate for NaNoWriMo, but that doesn’t attain the duty some inferior intimidating. The exclusive artefact to do it is to club in and provide it your prizewinning shot.