My Writing Setup

That setup is a mix of physical and digital. It’s a setup that starts with my desk. One that’s not too large, but with enough space for a laptop or a tablet, a keyboard, a mouse, and a paper notebook.

The desk I’ve been using for the last 18 months or so (at the time I published this post) is an antique Singer sewing machine table. The top of that table measures 84 cm wide by 53 cm deep by 73 cm high (you can do the conversion to inches yourself). I also have a comfortable, bespoke leather office chair which is adjustable and which gives me the right amount of support.

Here’s what my desk looks like:

While the desk’s writing area is small, it never feels cramped. Although there are a few items on my desk, they’re not overly obtrusive. I can focus on my work even with them there.

My Devices

Next, my devices. I switch between two and use each depending … well, on a few unimportant factors. Those devices are a StarLite Mark IV laptop and a StarLite Mark V convertible. Both run Linux, in case you’re wondering. More on this in a moment.

With the former, I can comfortably type on it’s relatively small keyboard. With the latter, I often use its keyboard cover. But when I need to get down and really start banging out words, I have stands for both and, taking advantage of the wonders of wireless, connect a keyboard to them.

That keyboard is a Logitech Pebble Keys 2. I know that some keyboard junkies will pooh-pooh my choice, saying it’s not big enough, it’s not mechanical, it doesn’t have good travel, or that it lacks whatever else is important to them when it comes to a keyboard. I don’t care. The keyboard works very well for me, enabling me to type quickly and smoothly while being compact enough that it doesn’t take up too much space. It’s also small and light enough to take with me without adding any bulk.

Here’s my physical writing set up with the StarLabs Mark IV laptop:

And with the Mark V convertible:

Again, nothing special in either case but those setups work for me.

Software

As I mentioned a few paragraphs back, the laptop and convertible both run Linux: Zorin OS on the Mark IV and Ubuntu on the Mark V. Both are user-friendly flavours of Linux and I’ve mirrored my setup (at least as far as software goes) on the two devices.

I try to keep my writing software simple. While I usually use a text editor to do most of my writing, sometime in the winter of 2025 I went back to using an application called Apostrophe to edit files formatted with Markdown.

Other than that, I use an application called Folio to manage my notes. When I need to, I can convert files formatted with Markdown to HTML or a word processor format quickly and easily.

Notebooks

As you can see in the photos above, there’s a stand on the left of my desk that holds some notebooks (along with the case for my glasses and a pair of pens). That’s right, I’m not a completely digital beast. I still go analog quite regularly, even with my terrible handwriting.

Sometimes, I just find it easier to pick up a pen and a notebook, then start writing down ideas or thoughts or even rough drafts. using a notebook means I don’t need to wait for a device to start up or an editor to load. I can record what’s in my head before it starts to fade.

As for the notebooks I use, they’re nothing special. While I have some which might be considered higher end, many of the notebooks I’ve used were freebies I picked up at events or were ones I bought at a Japanese $2 store in Auckland. As I keep saying, the quality of a notebook doesn’t influence the quality of what you put in it.

Closing Thoughts

The main benefits of my writing setup are that it’s compact and it’s portable. My desk doesn’t take up much space. I can work with my files on both of my devices (or other devices), using the same or even different software.

My setup is also simple. I don’t need or feel the need to jump between applications. I spend my time doing the work rather than obsessing over which tool to use or which one is better.

— Scott Nesbitt