10 Thoughtful Gadgets for Writers

Writing contrary to popular belief is a Herculean task. Of course, we may differ on the definition of writing. Most people take the literal transfusion of information to paper as writing but for me, its the ability to carve a name for yourself in the hall of fame. This for most is where writing gadgetry comes into play.

Gadgets and writers though can be likened to a rider and his horse. Most of the time, success depends on the skills of the rider. However, at times the strength of the horse also helps. Likewise, the success of a writer does not rest on the gadgets used but the skills of the writer. However, these gadgets can alleviate writing pain as well as give you street creed.

LAPTOPS

In this day and age, a laptop is a very important gadget for a writer which can be life changing if not essential. Of course one can bang articles on a smartphone but you have to sacrifice your eyesight.

1) Macbook Air M2 (15 Inch 2023)

This laptop is not for the financially weak which unfortunately tends to be the case for most writers. However, if you value quality and peace of mind then this will be a great choice.

Apple is well known for creating stellar devices and having great security. The security of course will be handy when you become a great writer and you don’t want people poking holes in your laptop and stealing your great manuscripts.

The laptop comes with Apple’s own M2 8-core chip. This is supported by 8GB of RAM as well as 256GB of fast SSD memory. Word of advise though, if you want to improve the food in the plate then it is literally going to cost you an arm and a leg. For the tinkerers, sorry!, you will not be able to get away with disemboweling this one.

The specs though are great for writing if not too great. The laptop also has a sturdy build and can handle being tossed around. The keyboard is one of the best in the industry with few which can rival it.

All this is yours if you can be able to fork out $999 dollars which is just a fancy way of saying one thousand dollars.

2) ACER ASPIRE 5

Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in his mouth or will even be able to pick one. This of course entails that there is need to buy a budget laptop. The Acer Aspire 3 is a great choice regarded you have a knack of tinkering around.

The best version you can snag for yourself is the i3 one. For writing purposes this is way too fast that is unless you want to do some video editing on the side. The SSD will also help for faster storage.

If you are good at tinkering around and you install Linux in this baby then you are in for a treat. Linux Mint is the distro which think works great for writers.

WRITING TABLET

If you are like me, your brain may works better when you are jotting things down. During my university years, I did not read. I studied, ehe!, got you didn’t I. You see studying differs from reading in that it is research oriented. Turns out reading after some time becomes monotonous for me and after some time my eyes are following the lines but the brain has somehow managed to shut down.

If you are my lovely friend in this, then welcome to e-ink tablets. They happen to use matte screens and come with styluses which comes close to the feeling of writing on traditional paper. The cherry on top is that your gold nuggety scribblings are stored on the cloud for future retrieval.

3) REMARKABLE 2

This is the dictionary definition of a writing tablet since it is the most popular one. Besides the aforementioned goodies of E-ink tablets, this one also happens to posses pretty good battery life as it can last for up to a week or more depending on usage. Also just like magic the stylus attaches to the side and charges thereon.

To get this beauty, you will need $299. If you want the pen you will need to shell out $79 more. In this industry this is considered pretty cheap.

It goes without saying though that this is not necessarily a must have tool for writers. Even if you are a non-fiction writer who research heavily, you can get some diaries, notebooks and files and create a best seller copy.

4) Apple Ipad

The problem with E-ink tablets is that in essence they are glorified papers with the nifty functionality of backing up notes on the cloud. However at times you may need more than that.

Or maybe you want the functionality of a laptop in a compact form-factor. All this can be provided by the Apple Ipad in the case the 2023 version.

For writing as if on paper, apps like Notability and Goodnotes can be of good use as they allow you to doodle to your heart’s content. Lets also not forget that these tablets are very close to using a computer. You can add a keyboard to them and do basically anything. Using word processors, video editing and recording, audio manipulation, AI work and many more.

These are also a great boon to those who are great at drawing and want to create their own graphics. You shell $500 bucks and you will be able to enjoy this.

KEYBOARD

At times you may need a standalone keyboard for your writing needs. This is very important if you happen to be using a tablet or a desktop. Even when using a laptop, at times the quality offered by these keyboards is hard to emulate unless you are using a ThinkPad.

5) LOGITECH ERGO K860

Stuff from Logitech is known for its quality. This keyboard though takes it to another level. It is an ergonomic keyboard specifically designed for long writing sessions.

A wrist-rest is also built-in so a to protect your hands. This is further supported by a sloping curvature which reduces wrist strain. So writing sessions are guaranteed to be productive and untiring.

The keyboard itself is a wireless keyboard which supports Bluetooth connectivity.

6) LOGITECH K780

This is a basic keyboard which is also great for saving some bucks as it come at $47. Of course its not going to blow you away at this price but the Logitech quality is guaranteed.

The keyboard is both wireless and can also connect through USB. The typing provided is silent which means you are not going to disturb fellow occupants in a room.

The crowning jewel though is the fact that it can also work with smartphones and tablets. The keyboard itself has a rubber cradle to hold your smartphone thereby saving you the extra cost of getting a smartphone stand.

LAPDESK

7) Generic Lapdesk

A lapdesk will stand-in in place of a proper desk. Its portability will allow you to set camp anywhere and start writing. Most of them are foldable making transportation easy. You will also get additives like USB ports, a drawer for your writing utensils, tablet holder as well as a cup-holder.

This one going for $35 on Amazon will do the trick and set you straight.

DESK LAMP

8) Generic Desk lamp

A desk lamp is great for writers especially if you are sharing a room. It also has the advantage of providing light which is directed towards the source you want.

I picked this one for you from Amazon. It has a boom arm design which has a desk clamp. Thus, you can swivel it and direct it exactly where you want it to be. There are ten brightness levels and three colour modes. You only $25 to secure this one and add it to your writing rig.

HEADPHONES

Headphones are a welcome addition to the arsenal of all writers. You can play music whilst researching. For some, this can allow them to zone out and be hyper-focused at the ask at hand. If you get expensive ones, then you get Noise Cancellation enabled headphones making it possible for you to block out the hubbub of life.

Nature sounds whilst working also seem to be in vogue these days. Connecting with nature whilst banging on the keyboard is of course something which we can all kill for.

9) SOUNDCORE SPACE ONE

This is a budget friendly wireless pair going at around $100. Inspite of the seemingly low price, they are a great pair. After all, price is not an indicator of quality.

The quality on this one is indicated by how comfortable the pair is to wear. You also get technologies like Active Noise Cancellation, and a speak-through mode which pauses music automatically when you speak. All this is backed with a 40 Hour battery life.

Needless to say that this will be a great addition to your writing kraal.

POWERBANK

10) ANKER 523 POWERCORE SLIM 10K PD

Anker products are known for being a great bang for your buck. Though affordable, they don’t compromise on quality. This powerbank from the Anker company will ensure that your gadgets are always topped and ready for a writing binge on a moment’s notice. It has a 10 000 mAh capacity and fast charging functionality. All this can be acquired at $26.

These gadgets which have been listed in this post are not exhaustive. There are many more you can get even derivatives of the ones listed in this post. It all depends on what your writing dream set-up is. Some can even make make do with a smartphone alone. Some prefer standing desks and designer chairs and blade-less fans.

The gadgets picked in this post though are what I think a run of the mill writer will need. I have also tried to pick gadgets which straddle the line between quality and price. After all, most writers tend to die poor so there is no need to blow money.