I have yet to find a comprehensive list of gifts for writers. ?Sure there are holiday lists and occasional valuable articles, but I?m hoping to gather a list of the tools and products that you can advise others to gift to you or that, should you be so inclined (as I am), you could gift yourself?products that will actually help you become a better writer.
So today I?m continuing a series of product reviews to help gather more helpful writing tools (besides ?lots of coffee?). ?Who doesn?t like to shop for items that might actually be of use professionally? ?And given?that I?m all about finding ways to usefully procrastinate?(one of the things you must learn if you want to be a writer), spending time shopping for the right writing tools is far more valuable than shopping for some other items.
Product Review #2:?LiveScribe Echo Smart Pen*
Price: $99 for 2 Gb; $137 for 4GB; $204 for 8GB
Category: Writing/Electronics
Rating:?Five Quills?(out of five)?see below for explanation.
*Disclosure: The above links to purchase this item are (obviously) affiliate links. ?I bought this item myself through Amazon in December, tested it on my own, and decided to review it entirely on my own.?
The Gist:?There are three main functions to this pen: (1) It records audio while you write with it; (2) What you write on the special LiveScribe paper can be uploaded quickly onto your computer (without scanning); (3) The text you write down is synced to the audio you record, so if you are listening to a lecture, get confused, and write ?got confused here? in your notes, you can tap those words (in the notebook or on the computer) and it will playback the exact part that confused you while writing that note.
The Worthy:? What?s worthy about this product is that it actually works as advertised! ?I have found this to be an amazing tool since purchasing it around the holiday season. ?I do most of my writing in word processors, but I frequently need to move away from the keyboard and plot out my ideas with pen and paper. ?The problem is that I often lose the paper where I write my notes, or I have so many notebooks going that I can?t remember where I put some notes. ?This pen solves that problem by transferring all of my writing to a free piece of software that makes digital versions of my LiveScribe notebook pages. ?I can then put all of my handwritten notes into an easily locatable folder on my computer.
Additionally, sometimes I need to think aloud about the notes I?m taking down, or talk it through with a friend. ?Having the ability to record what I don?t necessarily need to write down is great. ?So, let?s say a friend is critiquing my writing in person (or a creative writing group is meeting for a critique of my work), I can record their comments while taking notes and then sync up my notes to what they actually said, should I be confused later on. ?This is an incredibly valuable tool?and the audio sync really does work.
There are other uses for the pen too that are quite magical. ?You can push some buttons on the pen, draw a piano keyboard, and start playing the piano on your paper, for example! ?Not the most useful thing for me, but quite intriguing.
The Not Worthy: ?The only major caveat I would suggest is that to ensure that your notes can be transferred to the computer software, you need to make sure that you write hard when you write your notes. ?My normal way of writing ended up with an unsuccessful transfer on my first go around, and once I made sure to press down more forcefully when writing the next time, it worked fine. ?It?s a bit annoying, especially if you just don?t write that way, but I?ve found that it?s a flaw that easily outweighs the benefits.
Trend Setting:?This part of the review asks what is, to me, the fundamental question of any product review:?will this be something I buy and use twice or will it change the way I write? ? For me, I certainly don?t use this to draft my stories?because I don?t draft by hand, but it has seriously changed the way I take notes during planning time. ?The brain sometimes needs the freedom of the page that a notebook offers?something my computer screen and MS Word can?t provide. ?This product blends the ability to handwrite something with the ability to easily and securely keep your work on your computer.
Final Thoughts:?If I was asking for a gift as a writer, this would be towards the top of my list. ?It?s useful, fun, and it actually functions as advertised. ?You will likely need to purchase additional ink and notebook paper soon after buying the pen, but they aren?t too expensive and will definitely be used. ?As a writing tool, you can?t do much better than this product.
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Rating: 5/5 Quills
The Rating Scale Explained:
5/5 Quills: Highly Recommended. ?An essential tool to have and something to put at the top of a gift list.
4/5 ?Quills: Recommended. ?A useful (but not life-changing) tool to have in order to be a writer.
3/5 Quills: Mixed. ?May be useful or not depending on your habits.
2/5 Quills. ?Not Recommended. ?Not a useful product for writers.
1/5 Quills: Warning! A useless and ineffective product. ?Will not help you with your writing in any way.
Do you have any experience with this product or similar ones? ?What are your thoughts? Discuss below!
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