Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Laptop Vs. Desktop

If there was a title match between the laptop and the desktop who do you think would win? 

When I work at home I work from a laptop.  Don't get me wrong, it is a velocaraptor...or at least that is what my handy IT guy Eric calls it.  It weighs as much as a desk top but has all the convenience of a laptop.

At work I have a desktop that would make Bill Gates jealous.  I have dual monitors and my computer has the latest and greatest state of the art stuff in it.  Do I know what that is?  Heck, no and guess what?  I don't have to, that is what I have an IT guy for.

Recently though I am not enjoying working from the laptop as much.  

In the beginning I liked the versatility of being able to move through out the house and on to the back patio.  It is fun to work outside when the weather is awesome. 

Now, not so much.  I find myself increasingly frustrated and missing my dual monitors when I am working from home.  I don't know how I ever worked without them.  I also find that when I work from my office instead of moving all over the house I can concentrate better, especially when I am writing so the portability is becoming less and less important.

The reason I bring this up is because it made me wonder what type of writing situations and challenges do you guys face?  Do you have enough lighting in your space?  What about the work surface?  Also is any of this really important or am I just suddenly fixating on this because the writing is not coming to me right now.  I sit there at the ready and try but I am just dry.  

You guys all gave me such great advice yesterday and I appreciate it.  I wish there was like a twelve step program to get me back on track with the writing right now.  I will keep plugging away trying to find that well of inspiration I had a couple of months ago when all I wanted to do was write, write, write.


9 comments:

Linda G. said...

I use my laptop a lot more than my desktop, purely for the sake of convenience. Can't beat that portability.

I wouldn't worry too much about the words--creativity can be cyclic, and you're probably in a "refilling the well" stage right now. The words will come back, better than ever. :)

Unknown said...

I actually use a desktop at home and only pull out my laptop when I'm on the go. I'm a creature of habit and thus tend to stay put when I'm writing. I'm usually boxed in at my desk with a cork/dry erase board to one side of me for outlining purposes and one or both dogs sprawled out on the floor to the other side of me. So, I don't go too far when I'm writing :)

Patty Blount said...

I have both as well.

At work, I have a dual monitor set up - one huge flat screen and the other, the laptop's monitor.

At home, I have a desktop that I can rarely use since it's shared among family members. So, I typically write on the laptop, even though it's a work machine.

One day, I plan to exercise a little eminent domain over my college son's bedroom and FINALLY have a writing space of my very own.

Candyland said...

I <3 my laptop like a 2nd child. I like being able to write anywhere in the house. The lighting, room temperature and color of shirt I'm wearing really don't spark any creativity. It just comes, when it comes.

abby mumford said...

i have a desktop at work, but a laptop at home.

i'm on the fence about which is better. granted, the portability of the laptop can't be beat (esp when i take it to the library), but maybe there's something to be said for having a dedicated work space. once you are sitting there, you are writing and so maybe, like pavlov's dogs, the creativity will light up as soon as you put your butt in that chair...?

Jamie D. said...

At work I have a desktop, single screen. I like that just fine. Here at home I have a desktop I never use because it's in the office, and the office is "isolated"...though we're going to remodel it so I can use it when I need to get away from the noise of the house (normally when I'm really tired).

I normally use my laptop, on the couch late at night for most of my writing/surfing, and I have a netbook too that I use for taking outside the house (coffee shops, etc...mostly during NaNo).

Did I mention we *are* the IT guys? LOL My husband's a computer tech, and I'm a web developer, so computers are what we do (when I'm not writing). ;-)

Unknown said...

I have a desktop with a big HD screen at home and I travel with a netbook. I may cave and get a basic laptop though, when the netbook can't handle any more.

If I could only have one? Laptop. Then I'm ready for any writing scenario.

Jessica Lemmon said...

I have both and use both equally. For writing, though, I like my desktop, it's tucked into my nice cozy office where the candles flicker and the iTunes plays, but I can't take it to Barnes & Noble, so sometimes, I pack up my little netbook and off we go!

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