My Experience with Freewrite

When I was in the throes of my time in undergrad at Portland State, I found myself in a predicament. I had a writing station that doubled as my office for schoolwork, yet I found that I was too easily tempted by a variety of other mediums and things to do in my office; I could play video games on my computer, surf the internet, or watch a variety of YouTube videos at any time instead of writing. I was sort of reaching a limbo point in my writing practice; work only came days before the deadline and in spurts rather than all at once, and inspiration came few and far between. I was beginning to lose steam for the artform I once adored. But one day, I got an ad while I was browsing the internet.

Astrohaus' Freewrite is a tool that promises a completely distraction free workflow for writing. When I first saw the device, I was instantly drawn to how distinctive and aesthetically pleasing the device was, with a simple throwback to the true times of distraction free writing by modeling it after a typewriter. The E-ink screen promised no harsh blue light on the eyes, and there’s enough storage on the device to write with unlimited potential. I was incredibly drawn to the device, but shelved my need for it during the spring semester as I was busy with trying to graduate.

However, when I graduated, I wanted to gift myself something as a reward for working hard and writing for four years straight, even during a pandemic when it seemed there was no outside world to read whatever I was to come up with. At first I wanted a traditional typewriter to write with, but then realized the convenience would be a problem for me, as it was a near hassle to have to deal with ink cartridges, and if I made errors, I would have to go in with whiteout and fix it. I wanted to strip away all the parts of writing that were distracting to me, not create new hassles. So, when I moved home, I took my graduation money and spent it on the Gen 3 model of the Freewrite.

Something that I appreciated when buying the Freewrite was the ability to split the payments, as I didn't want to spend all of my graduation money in one go. I split the total cost over four payments which enabled me to get the Freewrite while also making it not such a dent in my wallet. I bring it up here in case anyone is hesitant about the price of such a device; there are options that I think, once realized, may actually be the final thing holding back others from purchasing this.

When I first picked the Freewrite up out of its box, I realized just how light the device was for what it purportedly was made out of. It was a heavy, sturdy device for sure, but when I picked it up by the handle, it felt like I was holding one of those zipping binders you would've carried in middle school.

The startup of the device was incredibly simple as well. I pushed the big red button and the screen booted to life. 'Set Your Story Free' came up on the screen. Little did I know then how real that statement would end up becoming for me and for my craft.

I setup the Freewrite with their software called Postbox, which enables you to sync your writing across various platforms for later editing, a part of the mantra for this device: Write now. Edit later. I chose to sync it up with my Google Drive account, which I already had been writing on for the years that I was in undergrad. I made a new folder called Postbox, and linked it on Postbox's website. In fact, it allowed me to automatically make my account by signing in with Google, which hastened the process of getting everything setup by a lot.

From there, I setup my Freewrite with three folders. Folder A was meant for whatever main project I was working on and all documents associated with that. Folder B was my miscalleneous fiction folder, where I could write side projects, other short stories, and stories from writing prompts. Folder C was meant as my personal folder, where I used the Freewrite as a journal or to draft writing that isn't a part of my practice, like letters to friends and family.

The Gen 3 Freewrite is different from the previous versions because this new model has the ability to move the cursor around inside your document if you notice that you have a spelling error that you absolutely *have* to fix. Trust me, I've been there, and Astrohaus must know that too, because it's just inconvenient enough that it dissuades me from being nitpicky about my word choice when writing, or if things don't sound right. Write now. Edit later.

There is also a new navigation menu where you can see every document in each of your folders and select which one you'd like to work with. Previously, the navigation was done on Postbox off of the device, but here it allowed me to have an almost mini workstation. I like to have a large view of all the documents and writing I'm working on, so that is something I continue to enjoy.

One of the largest concerns amongst people that may be hesitant to purchase a Freewrite is the lag between the keyboard and the screen when typing. Truthfully, I was one of those people that was worried about what that would be like. In fact, I made sure to double, triple check the return policy for this in case I wasn't fond of that aspect of it, as that was my only problem with it besides the cost. I wasn't going to enjoy writing on a device that was going to have trouble keeping up with my typing speed. But as soon as I powered the Freewrite on and opened my first document, I quickly noticed, quite literally within the first minute of using it, that it wasn't that bad at all. I don't know about the previous models, but this screen is definitely quick enough to have that lag issue not be a problem at all.

One of my favorite features of the Freewrite is just how quickly I can get to a new blank document. Ideas never wait for you to boot up Google Drive, but with the Freewrite, I find them spilling on the page just as I'm able to power it on and press the other two red buttons at the bottom of the keyboard, marked 'new'. A new document is right there, ready for me to write with. No hassle. No waiting for documents to sync and folders to load. It's always right there to catch the ideas in my head before they flutter away.

Freewrite is not only a device that changed my writing practice because of its physical presence in my workstation, a device that does nothing but write, but also because of the new philosophy that it's given that practice. When I have an idea, there is no hesitation. The ideas come in an orderly fashion and march to their little folders where I know they'll sync with Google Drive so I don't have to worry about them. I can focus on what's most important, getting the words on the page and, ironically, setting my stories free.

Stillness

I turned back to look at the car I’d taken here, and the headlights I’d left on as my lifeline. I wasn’t afraid, which I thought was quite odd.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, letting the music from my phone in my pocket play, the device idly vibrating against my leg as I walked further out into the empty field. 

During finals week this fall, my personal essay writing professor, an eloquent and well spoken man named Justin, expressed to me that I write about the landscape of North Dakota in a unique way. I discussed with him that North Dakota has places that create an empty, eerie atmosphere that invites a singular experience for the lone soul every time it’s experienced. That was the key though. It was an experience one could only have alone. 

I told him that I wanted to capture that feeling, that essence, and bottle it up to keep as my own. I didn’t know why, and I still don’t, but it almost felt like an answer of some sort. I want(ed) to figure out what that feeling meant to me. Why I find myself at peace within it.

I thought about that when I stood outside, the cold starting to nip at my bare fingers as I held my camera in my hands. I was in a large barren, dead corn field off of County Road 31, brown husks picked clean by birds beneath my feet and bare leaved trees at my back. The corn for the season was harvested by now and the field was empty, stretching endlessly until it became a single line across the horizon. No buildings, no vehicles. Fog was swallowing the entire landscape around me, so much so that I couldn’t see more than 100 feet in front of me. An incredible silence laid over the air around me, and it felt more comforting than any moment I had felt in a long, long time. The shape of the road began to disappear,  the trees I’d come to photograph slipping away too the more I walked, the only thing around me being a quiet, comforting gray, and a silence that I didn’t think I needed. I stopped once I’d found a place I thought was good enough and I looked around me, considering my shot. Whatever way I turned, it would all look the same however I edited it, whatever angle I took the photos in. The dirt, the snow, the fog, it was all the same. A uniform quietness.

And in that moment I felt the question return, my professor’s words coming again. Why was I so attracted to this? What was it about this void, this limbo-esque environment that draws me in so close? Why is it that I find a passion in writing about North Dakota’s landscape?

I raised my camera and snapped several photos. I heard an airplane fly overhead, close enough that it may only have been taking off from the nearby airport. But there was nothing. No blinking red lights, no shadow of the plane even. Just the sound, before the silence returned.

I paused my music, and stood, listening. I wanted to stay here. I wanted to pause the world and traverse it in this condition, this empty fog world for me to explore and photograph. What I can describe in the moment following was a great sigh of relief and a weight easing off my shoulders. Weight and stress from the term I was holding in that I didn’t even know I had. 

I was thankful, too. Thankful for the moment that I knew would dissipate if I ventured back to the car. Like it was a friend I would have to depart for the last time. 

The fog welcomed me home, in some unearthly way.