Hemingwrite

Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition

2 years I’ve been pondering whether to buy a Freewrite and I finally went all in with the Ernest Hemingway Signature Edition. I’m thrilled with it. It’s my go to with all of my creative writing. The look, the touch, the whole feel is exactly what I hoped for. Thank you to the team at Freewrite - feeling your support and keep doing what you’re doing.

great.
it is now the most beautiful item in my house.

I love writing, I’m also pursuing digital minimalism, by purchasing devices that help me limit my screen time. Besides the lag on the screen, this device has been a great addition to my new digital array.

I genuinely love my Freewrite. I stand behind its philosophy too — in writing, you shouldn’t constantly look back. But the truth is, sometimes edits are essential. A mistake can stall your momentum, especially when you know it’ll be a nightmare to fix later. The shortcuts and added arrow keys technically let you make corrections, but they’re clunky enough that it’s often easier to just delete the whole word and retype it.

Beyond the minor headaches of limited editing, I also find the complete lack of formatting options a little frustrating. Again, I get it — focus on the words, not the polish. But when you’re writing a screenplay, formatting sometimes is the language. Italicized dialogue or bolded details can shift the meaning of a scene entirely. It’d be nice not to stack even more revisions, especially as trivial as basic formatting, on top of an already heavy process.

That said, I absolutely love typing on it. The keyboard is incredibly high quality, and the e-ink lag isn’t nearly as bad as some people say (except when you’re fixing a messy typo mid-flow). I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Still, there are moments I find myself reaching for my iPad, just because I need a little more control over my words than the Freewrite allows.

If Astrohaus ever makes a new edition that added real formatting and editing options, I’d be first in line. The Freewrite has completely changed the way I take notes, journal, and capture ideas for plots, dialogue, and characters. I just wish I could use it for more than a rough, rough, rough draft. A device that could take you to the brink of completion, where you only need a computer for final revisions or delivery, would completely revolutionize the writing process. The Freewrite is unfortunately not that… but it could be, probably with just a software update.