George RR Martin, acclaimed writer of Game of Thrones, takes pride in using an old DOS machine to do all of his writing. The reasoning is simple: It does what he wants it to do. No more, no less. But why not just use what's out there? "Office"-style word processors correct spelling errors for you, automatically capitalize the first letters of a new sentence, automatically format your work with just a click of a mouse and more. Why? Because all of those things just get in the way.
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| Pictured: Complication |
Yes, modern word processors make typing a lot easier, but for writing, it gets in the way. Whether you're writing a story, a paper for school or even just a blog post, once you make a spelling error, the program distracts you until the problem is resolved, completely taking your attention away from the fundamental task you're engaging in: Writing.
You don't need on-the-fly spelling correction; that's what "proofreading" is for.
You don't need automatic capitalizations; acronyms will always cause problems.
You don't need one million formatting options; you will never use 90% of them.
When it comes to writing, command line is like the modern typewriter: It's a complex mechanism that's considered outdated technology. But, like the typewriter, it still works. You don't have bells and whistles flashing in your face, and while it will take some doing to get it up and running properly, the end will leave you with an easy to use, distraction-free space for you to get your work done.
"But blog writer-guy," you might be asking from your seat. "I want a simpler way to write, but I don't have an old DOS computer."
That's okay, you don't need one. A similar system could be set up using modern technology. I'm going to show you how to set up a very minimalist writing environment inside of a Linux installation, merging the philosophy of distraction-free writing with the most secure operating system on the planet. We'll look at a few Linux distributions, install one onto a USB drive (or dual-booted on a computer), install a command line-based word processor and tweak the system to make it easier to use and easier to jump into instantly.
We'll also look at some word processors who pride themselves in being distraction-free, in case you want an alternative.
This blog assumes you're familiar with the command line and Linux as a whole. Even if you're not, but you're still interested in learning, I'll be going into as much detail as I can and linking to several great articles for further reading on the various subject matter that'll be covered.
