Posts tagged as:
Screenwriters
Netbooks – Good Geek’dm for Writers
Netbooks are the latest piece of hardware to target the geek scene. Every manufacturer worth its salt is rushing to get their version of the netbook on the market. Not to be confused with laptops/notebooks, netbooks are optimized for light computing tasks like word processing and heavy internet usage - hence the term “net”. They are the latest craze in computing and are spreading like wildfire. I’ve been watching the netbook craze since Intel introduced the Atom in the spring of 08’. And while the netbook truly has benefits for writers, I believe its greatest purpose will be in offering the ultimate low-cost web portal to the world at large. Mark my words, these things will soon inhabit the Amazon jungle.
One of the most attractive benefits of netbooks is the price tag – as low as $250. Why so cheap? Netbooks are not high performers when compared to their big brother notebooks/laptops. They have slower processors (i.e. Intel’s Atom and Celeron M) and smaller, slower hard drives. Hard drive capacity can be as small as 2 GB (the size of my very first Pentium desktop) or as large as 250 GB. Some use solid-state disks (SSDs). However, with slower processing speed, storage space becomes a tertiary matter because you are not going to get the speed you need to run bloated software programs.
Aren’t we headed in the wrong direction? Not quite and here’s why: Cloud computing (internet based programming) is everywhere and giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are leading the pack. The more we access applications on the web to complete our day-to-day tasks, the less desktop performance we need. Netbooks are designed primarily for web-based computing. They carry all the bells-and-whistles when it comes to USB ports, WiFi, WAN and Bluetooth connections.
No multitasking, gaming or heavy software programs ALLOWED!
Now think about it… For writers that’s not such a bad thing. More than ever before scribblers find themselves mobile, as the coffee houses have become the home office and working vacations are common - as is writing your novel during a lunch break or polishing that blockbuster script poolside. You simply need a machine that catches your brain droppings no matter your location and a software program that pulls it all together in a nice neat format.
Photos, games, IM – that’s called DISTRACTION. Notice I didn’t include music. Select a model with descent HD capacity so there’s plenty of room for tunes - a godsend when you need to drown out those inconsiderate types who dare frequent the coffee shop to socialize. Blasphemy! Can’t you see I’m spinning gold at the tips of my fingers here!
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Field Notes for Writers - A Hands-on Review
Recently arriving at LitCentral’s office was a package from our friends at Field Notes. The company, based out of Chicago and Portland, produces a quality memo book that rivals such competitors as Moleskine. There is genius hidden behind the marketing of this product, as it has taken on a cult-like following in a very short amount of time.
Design
Inspired by vintage farmers’ planting books and other practical, historic, mostly-midwestern American design.
Field Notes Three-Pack ($9.95) includes the following features:
* Three 48-page memo books.
* Each 3-1/2″ wide by 5-1/2″ tall.
* Rugged three-staple saddle-stitch process.
* Perfect 3/16″ (5mm) graphed paper.
Bonus goodies are included with every order and may very.
Field Notes are a very durable notebook made for anyone who needs something handy and accessible to capture the abundant overflow of their brain droppings. But for the purpose of Founders’ Blog we’re going to explore the benefits of Field Notes with regard to writers.
Screenwriters, Writers and Field Notes
Writers don’t just have ideas for stories, they have ideas for characters within those stories, and dialogue, and locations, and subplots, and so on… What I like about Field Notes is the 48-pages are a small but significant commitment to a particular subject or idea. With Field Notes you’re not presented with a giant notebook that may end up collecting dust because you have no idea how to begin filling so many pages. In the past I’ve been guilty of buying expensive journals and filling them with umpteen different subjects that eventually end up lost because there’s no search button or sequential order!
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Screenwriters and Writers - Inventive Marketing Apparel
Need to market yourself as a screenwriter? Use your body. Hey now, get your head out of the gutter, what I mean by that is wearing “writers gear” – hats, t-shirts, and hoodies. You never know who may be sitting next to you at Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, or on an airplane. It could just be Mrs. Big Shot. Perhaps your “Writer” hat is the conversation piece that leads Mrs. Big Shot to ask, “What do you write?” We have found many a writer who have had success with this inexpensive marketing technique.
There are several companies that sell writers gear for both screenwriters and novel writers. Café Press carries thousands of items for screenwriters, writers and filmmakers alike with hats starting at $15.99 and t-shirts starting at $19.99.
Samples from Café Press
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