Stupid Question #(I've lost track)

[JamesMiehoff]

Has anybody ever tried writing a story on their smartphone?

I am tempted to do it, but I just want to know if anyone has ever tried it and if so, what were the pitfalls and any positives.

James

 

[KeithD]

I was thinking about it one night after my second glass of Yellowtail Shiraz, and then I remembered that I don't have a smartphone.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I have done occasional rough drafts of scenes on my phone, but they are so loaded with errors that they are hardly worth it, other than to your down ideas to work on later.

 

[jaF0]

Consider a BlueTooth keyboard. Makes the DumbPhone basically a monitor and makes the resulting types characters slightly less dumbly arranged.

 

[Maeven_quinn]

This comment brought to you by smart phone.

I don’t see much upside. It’s hard to write much more than a paragraph or so. I could maybe use it for ideas or outlines, by notebooks work just as well.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Yes. Multiple chapters of one of my longer stories were written almost entirely on my phone. It was a convenience thing where I didn't have a lot of access to my PC at the time. I haven't done it recently because I do have better access now, and speed is a concern. I probably type twice as fast on a full keyboard as I do kn my phone.

Typos get flagged by spellcheck the same as on a PC. That's not a real problem, just one we tell ourselves is real.

Note: I don't do much in terms of rough drafts. I would say 98% of the writing I submit was first take. If I was having to do a lot of editing and big-picture reshaping to get pacing or flow right, that would be a concern.

 

[LupusDei]

Just about anything I have posted on this forum is smartphone typing.

You can use Google docs or anything similar to switch between devices on the fly, and enjoy bigger screen and mouse + keyboard for finishing and editing.

Copy&Paste large chunks around is hard, and maybe my phone old and that's it, but some very long documents start to lag in some actions, so probably you want to break it up in smaller chapters, but other than that it could be doable if you're in position it makes sense.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I've never written an entire story on my phone, but I've tapped out large sections at a time when inspiration struck but my computer wasn't convenient. If I had to guess, I'd say I've done 500 to 600 words at a stretch this way.

I'll also proof read on my phone and fix typos or make minor additions. Keeping a working copy of your manuscript on a cloud server (Google Docs, Microsoft OneDrive, etc.) makes it easy to work on your story from any device you have handy.

 

[Hypoxia]

The 5-inch Android phone? Nope. The 7-inch Android tablet? Sketches and notes, yes, but nothing near a complete work. I write with a 12.5-inch ThinkPad on my lap -- full keyboard, easy online research, visible fonts. Yes, I've a Bluetooth keyboard too, but I don't haul it around. It's dedicated to an older 8-inch Android tablet that runs our music system.

I suppose I could go full Ogg and write only 50-word stories on the wee little phone. That might work.

 

[Kantarii]

Every story I’ve ever posted on Lit has been written on my iPhone. It’s incredibly convenient. I can be sitting anywhere at anytime and work on my newest chapter and it automatically saves in my notes once I close it. iCloud is a convenient backup if the iPhone is lost or damaged. Depending on the size of your screen, I gauge the length of my story at about 19 to 21 full screen scroll swipes from bottom to top. That works out to be a page on Lit.

Such a convenience it is, I have yet to try to post a story from a desk top computer as the copy/paste function works really good transferring the story to Lit’s story posting sectionKant

 

[SimonDoom]

I can't imagine doing this if one had the choice. I am usually near a desktop or laptop computer, so I never compose on my phone. If I often were not near a computer, I could imagine using my phone out of necessity. But I can't imagine doing it unless it was a matter of necessity.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

Thanks.

Most of your thoughts parallel my thinking. Good for short chunks of story but the limitations don't make it easy for longer pieces.

I was only wondering because I frequently get weird flashes of story and I may not be around a computer.

I guess I will keep thinking about it.

James

 

[Emirus]

Has anybody ever tried writing a story on their smartphone?

I am tempted to do it, but I just want to know if anyone has ever tried it and if so, what were the pitfalls and any positives.

James

I use my iPhone for writing all my stories and I have a gmail account that I use just for this site. I’m writing this on my iPhone as I do everything else.

I write the story as a draft email and it stays that way. It never gets sent. When I’ve finished the story I go to my laptop and copy the complete story to msword (converting to rtf for submission). Takes about five seconds and there are no errors. It’s an exact copy of the draft email. If I want to edit the story I do so on my iPhone and then copy it again to msword replacing the original. Sometimes I correct small errors using my laptop.

I can write anywhere I find convenient and don’t have to carry my laptop around with me or wait until I get home. I’ve been doing it this way for several years, even though I only began submitting to this site a few months ago, and have yet to find any pitfalls.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I've done it once, when inspiration struck while I was flying cross-country without a handy laptop. It worked for a short piece, but for longer work I'd find it frustrating. I touch-type and I can't do that on a phone.