Yesterday, we got a new family member. No name yet, as we are still getting to know each other, but, yesterday, at breakfast, N and her husband, Mr. N, presented me with a lovely Neo2, a relative of the device that has increased N’s productivity since she got hers. Will this do the same thing with me? I am looking forward to finding this out. 

So, what’s a Neo? I know I am late to the party on this one, because these lovely devices aren’t produced anymore. Maybe I get hipster points for this. If I get enough hipster points, I get a free chai tea latte, possibly with coconut milk. I’m not entirely sure how that works, either, but N explained it as being somewhat like a smart typewriter, and I am all about that. I actually do miss the days of firing up eye olde typewriter and making with the clickety clack. I did that for a long time, and did okay with it, so I am interested to see how this new adventure is going to go. 

Though I have been dubbed, in my storied past, the computer killer, this Neo is not technically a computer, nor does it even strictly count as electronic. It runs on batteries (I have been known to go through those fairly quickly, too) and has a handy cable that will allow me to dump whatever I have written on the Neo, into the writing program of my choice. Not sure which program I will be using for that, at this point, but leading contenders are Google Docs and Scrivener. 

Here’s what I am looking forward to the most about working with a Neo: the tiny screen only allows me to view five lines at a time. Much easier to go forward than to scroll back and go over the same thing a thousand times. Not impossible, but not worth my trouble, either. The Neo allows me to keep up to eighty thousand words on it at a time, and that can be all in one place, or I can distribute it amongst a total of eight documents. This means I can tote around both historical and contemporary romances, assorted blog entries, a bath or two of idea soup for the future, private correspondence, and possibly other things. 

The whole thing is insanely portable, very light, fits in my tote, and will probably benefit from finding some sort of sleeve to keep it protected in its travels. Does this mean I am giving up pen and paper? Ohhhh no. They are my loves. I still need to do some fiddling with the MacBook, to get that back in fighting trim, and I am more than happy with the current desk setup for my desktop computer. Having my hands typing at a natural lap level is a real game changer for being comfortable while I type, as is using my ergonomic kneeling chair. 

Adding a new tool to my writing toolbox, as we approach the start of a new year feels about right. I am getting ready to transition into the everyday carry traveler’s notebook bullet journal for the winter season. This is going to mean a different size, and a new cover, while I let Big Pink take a long winter’s nap and come back in the spring with an all pastel theme. 

So, what does this all have to do with writing? For starters, all of the above are things I use to actually do the writing, so that’s relevant. Additionally, I crazy stupid love these kinds of things. Pen and paper, I could happily run off with, for several months, and finding the traveler’s notebook bullet journal method clicked into place with the songs of angels. I love picking out covers and inserts, finding the right spreads that make sense to me, and making them visually appealing. I can get into the zone with that, very easily, and that does something I have trouble putting into actual English words. 

The best way I can put that is that it puts the fiction writing part of my brain on autopilot, on the back burner, and, when I come back to actually writing whatever story or project was stuck, things are neater and more interesting, and I am ready to put them on the front burner, once more. Which is a good thing as I look at moving into 2019.