Every writer has their quirks. Some love the feel of a mechanical keyboard. Others tap out chapters on a phone while lying in bed.
There’s no “correct” device to write on.
There’s only what gets the words out of your head and onto the page—consistently, comfortably, and without friction.
Here’s how I break it down:
Fit for Purpose
Are you drafting? Planning? Reviewing?
Writing long sessions at a desk, or jotting scenes on the go?
The tech you use should match how you write—not how someone else says you should write. You do you boo.
Fit for Brain
Some people like focused, single-screen setups. Others want multiple monitors, floating windows, side-by-side references.
If your brain likes a clean, minimal view—honour that.
If you think spatially and need room to spread out—give yourself that space.
Fit for Fingers
Let’s talk keyboards.
I use a split mechanical keyboard because it keeps my wrists and shoulders happy, and because I can configure it to suit me. There’s a learning curve—but for long writing sessions, the payoff is real.
Some people want clicky keys. Some want silent. Some want compact.
It doesn’t matter what you use.
It matters how it feels after three hours of typing.
It matters if the keyboard provides friction or facilitates flow.
Fit for Context
I write across multiple devices: a desktop, a laptop, an iPad, and my phone.
Each one has its place:
- Desktop: Deep work, long sessions, streaming, dual monitors (one big, for the work, one small for things like music control), full comfort.
- Laptop: Portability without sacrifice—especially good when I want to write somewhere else in the house. Sometimes at the dining table, sometimes in my comfy chair in front of the TV.
- iPad: Lightweight, distraction-free, good for focused sessions or outlining. Sometimes I’ll use the Apple Pencil for handwriting or sketching structure there too.
- Phone: Notes and fragments—capturing ideas when I’m away from everything else. Often combined with Airpods, using dictation.
Let’s be clear—while my setup is high-end by many people’s measures, it’s not about being fancy. It’s about hardware I’ve gathered over years. The desktop is a 4ish year old iMac, the laptop was bought refurbished, the secon screen on the iMac is a cheap 11 inch from Ali Express. Sure, I splashed out on the phone, but that’s primarily a day-job tool.
What matters is that wherever I am, whatever headspace I’m in, I can write.
Fit for Budget
Not everything has to be high-end.
Use what you have. Upgrade slowly.
A solid, quiet keyboard and a screen you can read for hours matter more than fancy peripherals.
My Setup (Right Now)
- M1 iMac (main writing machine)
- M2 MacBook (secondary/travel)
- iPad (lightweight focus)
- Custom mechanical keyboards (split, hot-swappable, custom layers)
- Apple touchpad.
The goal isn’t to impress anyone.
What matters is that you have something that works for YOU. For all of you, budget and space included. Don’t trick yourself into not writing because you want a better computer first, or because you want a better screen, or a monitor riser.
The goal is to build a setup that lets you write—without pain, friction, or distraction. Build, not magically manifest. You build by doing.
If you feel good while writing, you’ll write more.
And if your tools start getting in your way?
Change them.
They’re not sacred.
The story is.