It’s not just me but every writer I speak to complains that they simply cannot find enough time in their day to get on with their work and indeed I have read many stories of people putting their kids to bed then staying up till the early hours to get work done. I’m the same (minus the kids).
Now I’m without a car I have a two hour commute each day, that’s ten hours a week or when you look at it another way; forty hours a month… a full working week every month! Now I don’t really mind the commute, in fact I quiet enjoy the time. I usually grab a coffee and listen to an audio book on my Ipod. (Incidentally you really must check out Audible on www.audible.co.uk for audiobooks, as they seem to be the best by far… sorry Itunes!) I know I could use the time better and use it to develop, write or edit some work but the tools have always eluded me.
I’m a technology geek so pen and paper doesn’t seem to get my creative juices flowing and I much prefer to do my writing at a keyboard. I have a Macbook pro so could easily crank it up and get to work… but do I really want to get it out on a crowded train? Besides it being too expensive to lose it also means I need to carry yet another bag. So I never really worked during my commutes.
But that was before I saw the Asus eeePC and started using it. The Asus eeePC is an ultra portable laptop and I have to say, overall, I’m really pleased with it. The device is basically a normal clamshell laptop but it is really tiny, about the size of a paperback book. The device has a seven inch screen and runs a version of the Linux operating system. It comes preinstalled with around forty applications including Open Office. Open Office includes word processing, spreadsheets and presentations and I’m actually using the package now to write this post.
If you’re a writer you should check out the device (http://eeepc.asus.com/uk/index.htm). What makes the device a real winner for me is the sheer portability of the device. Although my Macbook is a brilliant laptop I never really take it out and about with me. It’s simply too big to just throw in my bag along with my other stuff or too expensive to take down to the park or the beach. The eeePC neatly fills this gap. I’m underselling it to say that I use it as a portable word processor but that is exactly what I use if for and that is exactly why I think it’s a brilliant piece of kit. Typical it costs around £200 and has no moving parts so it’s nice and sturdy. It’s not perfect though as the keys are a little bit small for my fat fingers. I can’t touch type on it so I have resorted to a variation of two (possible three) finger typing. Its not super fast but it works. If you have smaller hands than me you should be fine but its still worth checking it out before you buy it.
Overall it’s a great piece or writing kit and means I can take it anywhere and pop it open (its almost instantly on) and knock something out when the muse hits me.
I’m currently working on a new stage play, a thriller based on an idea given to me by Lucy Graves… a great writer and friend who has sadly passed on… I hoping and trying to get it ready for the end of February and I will keep you updated as I go on. I’m also reworking my play ‘First Sight’ for possible inclusion in 2008’s All England Festival and I hope to also act in it too.I have been asked by several 
