Sliced Bread Is Nothing

It dawned on me early this morning that this year’s NaNoWriMo is drawing near. That realization filled me with a mixture of terror and excitement, and anyone who’s participated in the event understands the reason.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It’s an annual event that takes place each November, and participants are challenged to write a novel of at least 50,000 words in 30 days.

I participated for the first time last year, and I was a winner.



(Before you send confetti, a winner is anyone who completes the task.)

It’s true that sheer determination got me through, but time is everything when one is on a 2,000 word-per-day schedule, and the little device below made all the difference for me.













That’s right: a portable keyboard that allows me to use my Treo’s Microsoft Word Mobile and work anywhere.

My final writing day included a five-hour stint at the dentist’s office, and without this keyboard, I never would have made the deadline.

There are many portable keyboards on the market, but the ThinkOutside Infrared Wireless Keyboard features some significant differences.

• It’s a full-sized qwerty keyboard.


• It has no stay-flat problems.


• The keys feel and respond like those on a computer’s keyboard.


• It is durable and comes with a carrying case.

Beyond the NaNoWriMo use, this keyboard makes working anywhere possible with very little equipment: it takes up less space than a pad of paper, is smaller than a paperback book, and fits nicely in my purse.

While sitting in a café and writing is a nice change of pace, dragging a laptop inside and going through the hassle of finding a plug can be a pain. (Then, there’s what to do with your laptop if the coffee leads to the need to use the restroom.)

With the Stowaway and my Treo, I can come and go quickly and easily, and I don’t feel the burden of dragging my laptop around.

The only drawback I can find is the company has sold its product line to iGo, and their Web site isn’t very user-friendly, nor does the current version appear to be as lovingly crafted.

I never doubted the value of my purchase, but now, I feel like it was an even better buy.

There’s only one on eBay, and I may have to snag it as a backup!