I’ve been a expertise journalist for 10 years now and have written 1000’s of reports articles, critiques and evaluation items in that point. But recently I’ve needed to vary it up and do some writing that flexes completely different components of my mind: issues like quick tales, essays or perhaps a longer fiction piece.

But since I’m a tech nerd at coronary heart, I couldn’t assist however begin excited about new software program or devices I may use to optimize my pursuit. I began utilizing my favourite writing app, Bear, on the iPad Pro. I had learn that minimizing distractions whereas writing may be essential to creating headway – and although my job means I’m nearly all the time multitasking whereas writing, the posh of my new passion is that I can take the time to actually focus. But all these notifications and distracting apps lurk proper beneath the floor, testing my resolve to really sit down and get into the zone.

At the identical time, I caught wind of a brand new product from an organization referred to as Astrohaus, the “Hemingwrite,” a limited-edition version of a tool that Astrohaus has bought for about 5 years. The Freewrite (and the Hemingwrite version, which is already bought out) combines a superb mechanical keyboard with an e-ink show and is supposed purely for drafting textual content. There aren’t even arrow keys, so modifying something quite a lot of phrases again is a non-starter. It has WiFi, so you may sync your drafts to Dropbox, Google Drive or Evernote, however that’s about the one concession it makes to the web age.

My colleague Kris Naudus tried the Freewrite Traveler final yr. As the identify implies, it’s a transportable model of the Freewrite with a clamshell, laptop-like design and a regular laptop-style keyboard. She didn’t find it irresistible, principally due to the refresh fee on the e-ink display screen.

The Traveler held little enchantment to me, however the full-size Freewrite wormed its means into my thoughts. It’s costly at $600, however it’s a ravishing machine with an aesthetic that spoke to me. I imagined beginning my day with a big cup of espresso and the Freewrite, banging out my ideas for an hour each morning earlier than beginning my work day. With my telephone silenced, good music on my headphones and a clean web page in entrance of me, I’d certainly get into the writing movement.

By the start of August, I had determined to strive the Freewrite for a month and see if it was a great tool for me. My first impression of the Freewrite {hardware} was that it seemed simply as hanging in individual because it does on-line. The fundamental chassis is a darkish grey aluminum, whereas the underside is a shiny white soft-touch plastic that matches the white keycaps. The e-ink display screen is slightly beneath 5 inches extensive and a bit over two and a half inches tall. There’s additionally a smaller skinny strip of a display screen under that shows issues like phrase depend, a clock, a timer or the sync standing of your drafts.

Flanking that display screen are two pleasantly chunky bodily switches: one for controlling WiFi settings and one other to maneuver between three completely different folders that drafts are saved in. The final button wakes up the Freewrite once you’re able to go. Like the 2 switches, this button simply feels nice to press. At a time when so a lot of our gadgets strive to take action many issues, there’s one thing nice about a ravishing piece of {hardware} designed to do one factor nicely.

Right away, I observed the educational curve. For me, it was a mixture of the mechanical keyboard and e-ink display screen. Those are each two of the primary promoting factors for the gadget, and so they’re every very completely different from what I’m used to. After years of utilizing skinny laptop computer keyboards, the mechanical keyboard tripped me up a bit; my accuracy and pace weren’t the best. Given the dearth of a cursor and arrow keys, I attempted to coach myself to blast previous small typos relatively than delete phrases to return and repair them.

This is simply what the Freewrite’s creators meant. This isn’t a tool for modifying your ideas, only for getting them out as shortly and effectively as attainable. Fine-tuning can occur later, on a laptop computer. It took a while to get used to this method, and I nonetheless usually discover myself stopping to return and repair small errors, however I can undoubtedly admire the advantage of transferring ahead with no matter I’m writing relatively than getting hung up on the main points.

The e-ink display screen presents its personal challenges and advantages. I used to be initially apprehensive about its dimension, however that turned out to not be a difficulty. You can regulate the textual content dimension, however the default setting let me see loads of my draft. I’d often should web page up a bit to refresh my reminiscence on what I used to be engaged on, however it actually by no means felt too cramped.

It’s sharp, clear and appears nice with or with out the sunshine activated. I attempted to coach myself to jot down by pure gentle, and more often than not I discovered the built-in front-light (once more much like the Kindle) pointless. It’s nonetheless good to have you ever desire working in darker situations, however I attempt to do most of my work in a well-lit room.

If you’ve ever used a Kindle, the large draw back of e-ink screens: the refresh fee. It’s not as massive a difficulty on a Kindle, the place you flip the web page each 30 seconds or so, however on a typing gadget the display screen is updating continuously. It’s far completely different than the moment suggestions you get when typing on a standard laptop, and I can completely see how it might be off-putting to some folks.

It’s price taking the time to get used to, although. Most skilled typists most likely don’t want to observe each single character seem; I simply tried to kind and get right into a movement and solely actually take note of the display screen after I needed to return and browse one thing. In my thoughts, I feel the trade-off between a standard LCD display screen right here is price it. We have greater than sufficient blue-light screens in our lives.

Another advantage of the e-ink show is that it means the battery life is measured in weeks, not hours (yup, just like the Kindle). I’ve been utilizing the Freewrite fairly closely over the past month and I feel I’ve given it a full cost twice. Astrohaus says it’s rated to run for 4 weeks with half-hour of day by day utilization. My classes have been often longer however much less frequent; I undoubtedly didn’t hit 4 weeks between expenses, although. Regardless, except you employ the gadget for a number of hours each day, you shouldn’t have to fret about operating out of juice.

Overall, I’d say the {hardware} delivers what Astrohaus guarantees. But I’m not making an attempt to evaluation this like an iPad or different fashionable devices. For me, the query has been whether or not this factor will assist me grow to be a extra disciplined author, and whether it is higher suited to that process than different instruments at my disposal.

By one essential metric, the Freewrite is a hit: I’ve written over 15,000 phrases on it in lower than a month, the overwhelming majority of which weren’t for work. Aside from this story and one different, every part else I’ve created on the Freewrite has been phrases I’d not have written if I wasn’t making an attempt to jot down creatively.

Of course, that’s to not say I couldn’t have accomplished the identical factor with my iPad, a laptop computer, or varied different devices. From that perspective, it’s arduous to spend $600 on a Freewrite, because it doesn’t supply any really new options in comparison with a laptop computer.

But, in the identical means {that a} Kindle, Nintendo Switch or a high-end digital digicam are higher for particular functions than a smartphone or iPad, the Freewrite is optimized for its singular objective higher than different choices. Because the {hardware} is so attractive and straightforward to make use of, I discovered myself wanting to drag it out – it has been a optimistic reinforcement instrument that has helped me construct my behavior.

That mentioned, I nonetheless should have the self-discipline to make use of it and block out potential distractions. If I arrange with a laptop computer on my desk whereas making an attempt to jot down with the Freewrite, I’m simply screwing myself.

That’s why the Freewrite hasn’t been a vital instrument for my work. Even on days after I have to get writing accomplished, I’m usually multitasking, keeping track of our Slack channel and the information in a broader sense. I notice this doesn’t make for an optimum writing atmosphere, however it’s the truth of being a web-based journalist.

Practically talking, I’m usually flipping between my writing and a browser for analysis or one other doc with notes on my piece. There merely aren’t a variety of tales that I work the place I can simply sit down and write uninterrupted. This story is one in all them, although, and a workflow the place I do my drafting on the Freewrite whereas additionally having my iPad helpful for analysis, notes and an occasional Slack verify has labored fairly nicely to date.

There’s no solution to quantify how a lot of that is as a result of Freewrite and the way a lot of it’s merely me discovering the willpower to begin growing a brand new behavior. People are creatures of behavior, and I, too, take pleasure in a very good ritual. I haven’t totally remodeled my life the place I can write uninterrupted each morning like I imagined, however I’ve discovered myself making extra time for my new passion. The different night time, I had a couple of hours free after work, and as an alternative of blowing them on video video games, I labored on a narrative I’ve been writing – a small victory over my lowest impulses, however I nonetheless assume it counts.

Lately, I discover myself waking up excited about after I can squeeze in half-hour or an hour of writing time with out the distractions of reports and work, and the Freewrite is my first selection for that. It’s a pleasure to kind on, and it’s a primary instance of {hardware} that simply will get out of your means and allows you to concentrate on the duty at hand. There’s little doubt that it’s an costly gadget, and one that’s extra restricted than a comparably priced laptop computer. It’s a luxurious, however for a selected kind of individual, it may additionally find yourself being a useful instrument on your work. For me, it has been an incredible assist in fostering a brand new passion. It’s not a vital instrument, however it’s one thing that makes me need to write extra when I’m not, and one thing that makes me need to maintain writing when I’m utilizing it.