Anyone writing a book on their Ipad 2?

[Lovespicyfood]

Hi Everyone,

I got an Ipad 2 for Father's Day and have been enjoying it immensely. Just the other day my wife asked me, "Do you ever use your desktop anymore?"

One of my goals is to write a book. I've been contemplating getting a new laptop to start working on this goal because my laptop PC is OLD, SLOW and HEAVY. I've looked at the Macbook Air and though it is appealing, especially with the new model, I'm resisting on the hope that perhaps I could do this on the Ipad 2.

Is anyone writing a novel or book on their Ipad 2? If you are, what are your thoughts?

Today I got my bluetooth Apple keyboard and it feels great to type on. I'm using my Apple Smart Cover to stand the Ipad up, but it doesn't feel secure to me. I saw someone that modified an 8" acrylic easel and hope to try that tomorrow dependent on whether my local crafts store has them in stock.

Anyways, I would appreciate thoughts from anyone out there trying to do the same.

Regards,
Pete

 

[Lovespicyfood]

Well I did some searching and decided to buy this stand that has good reviews and multiple viewing angles for only $11.25 on Amazon.com!

 

[wheems]

I'm pecking away at few stories on my iPad! And I've no complaints thus far (well, there was one: typing on the iPad keyboard is a bit of a nuisance sometimes. But you've already remedied that one. ) A few apps you might want to investigate: Writings and iA Writer. Both are simple, straight forward word processing apps that synch with Dropbox. Currently, I'm using Writings and absolutely love it. But there are also people who swear by iAWriter (it's the app of choice for NaNoWriMo) Of course there's also Pages (Mac's Word), but I didn't need all the bells and whistles that came with it...and the other two apps are cheaper...

I suppose my only other complaint is not being able to print a hardcopy directly from my iPad (editing for me is sometimes easier on paper), but that too can be remedied with an air printer. So for the time being I just turn on my antediluvian PC and print from Dropbox.

Hope some of this helped!

 

[DQ]

Hi Everyone,

I got an Ipad 2 for Father's Day and have been enjoying it immensely. Just the other day my wife asked me, "Do you ever use your desktop anymore?"

One of my goals is to write a book. I've been contemplating getting a new laptop to start working on this goal because my laptop PC is OLD, SLOW and HEAVY. I've looked at the Macbook Air and though it is appealing, especially with the new model, I'm resisting on the hope that perhaps I could do this on the Ipad 2.

Is anyone writing a novel or book on their Ipad 2? If you are, what are your thoughts?

Today I got my bluetooth Apple keyboard and it feels great to type on. I'm using my Apple Smart Cover to stand the Ipad up, but it doesn't feel secure to me. I saw someone that modified an 8" acrylic easel and hope to try that tomorrow dependent on whether my local crafts store has them in stock.

Anyways, I would appreciate thoughts from anyone out there trying to do the same.

Regards,
Pete

You can write anything on the iPad. But to properly format a manuscript takes more than Pages or Quick Office can handle. As much as I would love to write my books on the iPad (and I am a professional writer) its just impossible. Also, the longer the document gets, the harder it is to scroll back and cut and paste text. The only thing I use the iPad for is to read over my work in ebook format, which is helpful for catching errors.

My best advice is to get that laptop or desktop. If you are lucky enough to get a contract, you are going to need that heavy duty machine to pull the workload editors require through and to the stage of publication.

Devyn
www.devynquinn.com
Coming Aug 2- Darkness Descending A novel of the Vampire Armageddon

 

[Jamster101]

Help, ere time I try da open an app on my "pad". The app crashes. Is there a new iOS?


Please do not hi-jack other's threads. It is against the rules. Start your own thread in the proper section of this forum ~ Moderator SP

 

[Lovespicyfood]

Thank you for the replies everyone, much appreciated!

Devyn- special thanks to you for your advice as I can see that you do a lot of writing. I have a pretty decent PC-based desktop so I can use that for the editing, but I might try to do some little stuff on the IPad. I see that "Scrivener" should eventually be available on IPad and I already have "a Novel Idea" which seems like a pretty good tool to start a foundation on and then flesh it out on a more powerful program/machine later...

That MacBook Air sure is appealing, but because this dream of mine is only in it's infancy, and I have no idea if I even have the skill to do it, that purchase will have to wait...

Thanks again,
Pete

 

[thewitt]

I generate a lot of content on my iPad, but move it to my Mac to them incorporate it into my book. I have an external keyboard which let's me touch type on the road. The manuscript is loaded into iBooks in various stages as well.

I find it a valuable tool just because it's always with me. I used to carry a small notebook and pen to take notes or write when I was inspired. I now use my iPad for this.

First book is in the hands of the publisher now!

-t

 

[wheems]

I generate a lot of content on my iPad, but move it to my Mac to them incorporate it into my book. I have an external keyboard which let's me touch type on the road. The manuscript is loaded into iBooks in various stages as well.

I find it a valuable tool just because it's always with me. I used to carry a small notebook and pen to take notes or write when I was inspired. I now use my iPad for this.

First book is in the hands of the publisher now!

-t

Wow! Congratulations!

 

[thewitt]

Thank you. It's been hard work but very exciting. Ebook will follow the hard cover by about two weeks.

-t

 

[Lovespicyfood]

I generate a lot of content on my iPad, but move it to my Mac to them incorporate it into my book. I have an external keyboard which let's me touch type on the road. The manuscript is loaded into iBooks in various stages as well.

I find it a valuable tool just because it's always with me. I used to carry a small notebook and pen to take notes or write when I was inspired. I now use my iPad for this.

First book is in the hands of the publisher now!

-t

Very excited for you! Congratulations!

What program do you use to generate content on your IPad?

Regards,
Pete

 

[bobinmo]

Can't figure out best keyboard

I've been wanting to work on the same project, but I keep finding it's the keyboard that sort of holds me back. There's the ClamCase and then the Crux keyboard IPad holders/keypads that seem to make our great IPad's more than just a great machine - more of a little computer as well. I'm seeking the same answer you are and can't wait to read more about what solutions people are finding that work. I have all sorts of notebooks, but having the IPad that can be this type of machine for part of the day but then clip in a keyboard so I can use it a different way the rest of the day makes this a more versatile machine than I've ever owned before.

 

[bobinmo]

Maybe work on it in parts

Hi Everyone,

I got an Ipad 2 for Father's Day and have been enjoying it immensely. Just the other day my wife asked me, "Do you ever use your desktop anymore?"

One of my goals is to write a book. I've been contemplating getting a new laptop to start working on this goal because my laptop PC is OLD, SLOW and HEAVY. I've looked at the Macbook Air and though it is appealing, especially with the new model, I'm resisting on the hope that perhaps I could do this on the Ipad 2.

Is anyone writing a novel or book on their Ipad 2? If you are, what are your thoughts?

Today I got my bluetooth Apple keyboard and it feels great to type on. I'm using my Apple Smart Cover to stand the Ipad up, but it doesn't feel secure to me. I saw someone that modified an 8" acrylic easel and hope to try that tomorrow dependent on whether my local crafts store has them in stock.

Anyways, I would appreciate thoughts from anyone out there trying to do the same.

Regards,
Pete

There is Evernote program that I have on all my computers including my IPad and IPhone. It allows me to write parts of whatever I'm working on and then I can paste it together later in MS Word or whatever other program I want later. Since many projects are at various stages, maybe Evernote would work for you?

 

[mobi1]

I have authored two books in the past so I think I can advise on this

Composing long documents in iPad is tough. Once document goes over 20 pages it becomes tedious to navigate.

In the past all my 100+ pages documents were composed in Word 2003/2007. iPad is not suitable for my books because I mostly write technical books and had to insert lots of diagrams and some specially formatted paragraphs (like computer code etc.) These things are cumbersome on iPad.

As the other member said, I use iPad to capture quick notes and then I copy paste in desktop Word where I maintain master documents.

If you write purely non technical books (i.e. no diagram, special formatting etc.) then iPad may be a good book writing tool for you. But any complex formatting and experience will be frustrating at most.

 

[thewitt]

I use Pages and a wireless keyboard to capture my inspiration writing. I have had more than one chapter on my iPad at a time, but it's not my preference

-t

 

[Lovespicyfood]

Hi Everyone,

It's really neat to hear everyone's feedback of how they're using their Ipad (or not) for their writing passion.

I was pleasantly surprised to get my Arkon portable folding stand today! I gotta say, so far I really like it! It allows you to adjust the viewing angle and the Ipad is solidly anchored to it (within reason).

I'm using it right now to type this post using my Apple wireless keyboard.

I really like this setup...so much in fact that I can foresee myself using it a lot to email/browse the web, etc.

As for what others mentioned, I could definitely see the Ipad not being ideal when scrolling through several pages of work. I for one am going to try to do some creative writing on it, but I suspect I will only attempt chapters at a time and those will be stitched together on my desktop...

Regards,
Pete