Hi JJ

Yeah, writing on an Alpha Smart would be for if you want to sit outside one morning, or write in a cafe, or at the beach, and so forth. You would have to download your day's work into your computer each time. But some of the writers I interviewed did that as a way to get going if they got blocked or wanted a change of scenery for writing.

I don't know of any products necessarily that I could recommend. I tend not to use things like that. I once bought this very expensive software program that was to help with plotting in a novel, and while I'm sure it was useful for some, what I discovered is that I spent so much time trying to learn how to use it, and then plugging in my information that it took away from my writing time, which is quite limited to begin with. I think the risk here is that you can feel like you're writing when you're really not. Products can become a distraction from the actual work.

The only "product" I tend to find useful to my writing process is a chair-- with my rear end in it.

It would be helpful to hear from others though who may have had a different experience with writing-related products.

Best, Kelly