Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Internet Tools
Setting up a "Writing Mac"
I've got a basement full of Macs in various states of repair, which shouldn't surprise you. One of my hobbies is re-purposing those old machines. For instance, there's a G3 All-In-One on my workbench which runs iFixIt.com when I've got a project. Additionally, I use a G4 iMac as a Daylite server.I've also had a G5 iMac for a while, but nothing for it to do. Earlier this week, I gave it a fresh install of Mac OS 10.4 and thought I'd use it for blogging and other writing. No web browsing, Twitter, iPhoto or the like. Call it a "Writing Mac." Here's how I set it up.
Reduce distractions
The Dock and drives are hidden from the Finder. No Twitter clients are installed, and only a few bookmarks are in place. The home folder contains only the default items and there's no music in the iTunes library. In other words, there's nothing to compete for my attention.
Streamlined for work
I've populated the dock with apps that support writing and nothing more. I've moved it to the lower left-hand corner by choosing "Position on screen > Left" from the Dock preference pane and this little bit of command line editing from Shawn Blanc:
defaults write com.apple.dock pinning -string endNow I can have the dock tiny yet accessible as I run my writing software. Speaking of which ...
The software
You'll see a few icons in my Dock. After the Finder and Mail, is Scrivener. If you've got a large writing project to complete, Scrivener is the companion you'll want on your side. Research, outlining and organization is a pleasure with such a great application.
I've also got Apple's Dictionary in the Dock because, believe it or not, 'ol Dave isn't so good with the spelling.
Next is Yojimbo (I had to upgrade to 10.5.7 to get this to run. D'oh!). I only started using this app recently, but I can see the appeal. When running, it puts a small tab on the edge of the desktop. It's easy to drop bits of text, images or URL's in there to use as reference. The good stuff, once reviewed, gets moved into Scrivener.
Finally is my beloved ImageWell for editing images for use here on TUAW. It runs on 10.4 and is just the tool for quick-and-dirty cropping and resizing.
At last, iTunes streams Radio Paradise, my favorite Internet radio station.
The best part is that there's almost nothing to back up (other than Scrivener projects, which I drop in my Dropbox). If this machine's HD croaked tomorrow, I'd be able to pick up where I left off with minimal fuss.
So there you have it, my Writing Mac. Aren't legacy machines fun?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ok said 7:10AM on 9-09-2009
You missed to mention Ulysses. Probably the most advanced tool for authors.
-> http://www.the-soulmen.com/ulysses/
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Iain Broome said 7:42AM on 9-09-2009
That's actually a very good idea. I have an old iBook which I only ever use for writing, but it has everything installed and I do find myself distracted when things are going to plan. I'm sitting here trying to think of a reason not to remove all those distractions, including the web browsers. I can't think of any. Crikey!
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Adel said 7:28AM on 9-09-2009
If you're concerned about distractions, you forgot to put WriteRoom, from Hig Bay Software, on your Mac. It's a throwback to the old WordPerfect days and old amber and green monitors. You get a black screen, and glowing old-style text. That's it. It's a blessing for writers with short attention spans, and is quaint and nostalgic to boot.
http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom
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dave said 8:13AM on 9-09-2009
WriteRoom is great! Scrivener combines WriteRoom's full-screen view with fantastic organization. The best of both worlds!
Adel said 9:22AM on 9-09-2009
Scrivener has a WriteRoom-type interface too? Cool. Never used it so I never knew. Should look into Scrivener, since I'm starting a new book!
jared said 7:50AM on 9-09-2009
What's the point of no music in itunes if you're just going to stream music in itunes?
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dave said 8:25AM on 9-09-2009
The point is backups. By keeping this machine free of mission-critical data (other than Scrivener projects which go into my Dropbox), I'm safe if the hard drive dies. By streaming Radio Paradise, I can hear a near endless variety of music with nothing to back up.
Plus, this machine isn't about managing music. I basically use it as a radio while I work.
jared said 12:22PM on 9-09-2009
Ah...cool. I guess I took it as music was the distraction so it wasn't on it, not for hardware related reasons. Makes sense.
AC said 8:00AM on 9-09-2009
Steamlined for work?
It would appear to be so steamlined that it lacks a spellcheck?
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dave said 8:16AM on 9-09-2009
Mac OS X has a built-in spell checker.
AC said 8:30AM on 9-09-2009
Yes, I realize that.
The word is streamlined, not steamlined.
MikeN said 8:10AM on 9-09-2009
Kind of a waste of a machine, running an older mac as daylite server is good use of a machine, but using one just for writing is kind of lame. as Apple Fan Boys we will find any excuses to keep our products as long as we can.
I think it's more about your comfort level and workflow and I'm not knocking on it. But I would not leave my MBP to go to an older Power Book just for writhing. Thats like saying I'm leaving iPod Touch to go back to a shuffle or classic just for music.
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dave said 8:22AM on 9-09-2009
It's more than just the physical machine. It's about setting.
Psychologist B. F. Skinner is the father of Behaviorism, or the study of why and how people do what they do. Critical to his work was the exploration of how a person’s environment can influence their behaviors. With this in mind, I’ve set up a “Writing Only” workspace and computer.
It’s simply a small room with a computer, a long table and a printer. Whenever I write, I do it in this room with this computer. I’ve conditioned myself to associate this area with writing, so my brain goes into “writing mode” as soon as I sit down. Call it a “kick start.”
Of course, you don’t need a dedicated room or machine. A cozy corner of your kitchen, the back porch, your favorite coffee house…the location itself doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that you use it consistently. Soon you’ll be able to achieve the proper state of mind just by sitting down.
And I hardly think this is a waste of a machine. It's a G5 and getting older by the minute. Much of the software I use on my main machine requires 10.5.7 or higher, and that's pushing it on this box. If I'm keeping it alive and useful, that's good enough for me.
jfish said 9:48AM on 9-09-2009
www.minimalmac.com
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Matthew said 11:21AM on 9-09-2009
Link doesn't work
jfish said 9:00PM on 9-09-2009
sorry, no idea why but try just minimalmac.com... or just google it.
gorka said 8:52AM on 9-09-2009
One more addition. For songwriters, check out Masterwriter at: http://masterwriter.com/songwriters.html
Overpriced, in my opinion, but great piece of software.
Cheers.
g
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Jordi Romero said 9:01AM on 9-09-2009
The Dropbox link is wrong, it's pointing to Radio Paradise.
About the software, I would also add TextMate.
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jake said 9:19AM on 9-09-2009
I had an old iBook that I used for writing my last three books. It was great. With a 12" screen, it wasn't much fun for anything other than writing, so it sort of had an internal governor on goofing-off. Plus every year, web stuff got more and more resource dependent, so that the iBook did fewer things online speedily and thus discouraged online meandering. Now I have a MacBook Air that I bought with proceeds from book #3. I think it is the best writing laptop yet. With the quick power-up and silent operation (SSD) it nearly (but not quite or will it ever I think) replaces my paper notebook as a place to scribble things out. And I have just Word and Lightroom on it. On to #4.
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InSaNeBoY said 9:48AM on 9-09-2009
My favorite machine for writing was a Powerbook 180 and write now 4. Portable, could run fine with the HDD spun down for silent operation(only spun up when saving a file) and that greyscale active matrix screen was nice and crisp. :)
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