Multiple Monitors

I wrote at length about the advantages of netbooks for writers several months after these gadgets first stormed the scene. With the current state of the economy, the Founders’ Blog is getting more and more inquiries about the capabilities of these new computers. In response, I’ve taken the time to graphically depict what a productive office setup might look like as it relates to gadgets/technology and the netbook.

Let’s quickly eliminate a few skepticisms about netbooks. While a netbook is not as powerful as a laptop, it is adequate for a writer’s needs. Can a netbook run MS Word? Yes. What about Final Draft? Yes. Movie Magic? Of course. Writers have it easy - we deal with text, the whole text and nothin’ but the text. And netbooks are perfectly capable of running text-driven applications. I do caution a few things: before buying, make certain you purchase a netbook with at least 1GB of ram if it’s running Windows XP and at least 2GB of ram if it’s running Vista. Keep pictures and music to a minimum unless you are using the netbook to transport the files to the web. [click to continue...]

 Two 24" Monitors 

Imagine, you have your trusty screenwriting or novel software open, the internet displaying your latest research, email, your favorite story structure software opened, and iTunes softly jamming in the background.  Any computer can do this, but only multiple monitors allow you to view it all at once.

And you say, "But I can only focus on one thing at a time." Actually, you’re capable of more than you think. Imagine each of the controls of a cockpit being accessible via individual, mini, sliding doors.  Check altitude - open door, close door.  Check airspeed - open door, close door.  That’s so ridiculously non-productive it’s hardly fathomable.  As a writer navigating a novel or a screenplay in the 21st century you have several controls in your cockpit:  Email, writing software, internet research, story structure software, dictionary/thesaurus software, even iTunes.  Almost all these software applications are resources that either inform, format or network whatever you are writing.   Yet, if you’re using a single monitor you are mimicking the pilot scenario by opening and closing multiple applications throughout the workday. 

To improve your productivity you want to invest in something called "screen real estate" (i.e. multiple monitors).  It’s the difference between owning a 600 sq ft studio with a broken AC, or a 5-acre estate with an ocean breeze.

Types of Extended Monitors
Extended monitors range in sizes from 10" - 30".   For the purposes of this article we’re going to focus on 17" - 30" monitors.  Also let’s be clear… CRT fat-cube-boxy monitors are out and flat panel monitors are in.

The Mammoth 30" Monitor
Big screens are not about filling the entire screen with one application, but about multiple applications open in one window.  A 30" screen is big enough to allow you to open two full-size windows plus extra space for reduced windows and widgets.  Although it is physically huge, it takes up less space than two side-by-side smaller monitors capable of only one full-size window per screen. 

Advantages of Three Monitors
The advantage of a three-monitor-display (Yes your laptop screen can count as one) is that there is a focal point - the center monitor.  It has something to do with the human psych…I guess…I don’t know. But having a "main screen" signals to the brain that the important task at hand is in front of you.  Everything else is tertiary.  Westerners read left to right so it stands to reason that your least important business would reside on the monitor to the right. 

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