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This is a guest post by Sumesh (see end of this post for details about him)

Writing quickly and efficiently (without compromising on quality) is one of the challenges that every writer faces (blogger in this specific example). Computers can be notorious in causing distractions, what with all the hundreds of desktop applications, various websites/services and music.

To write in a distraction-free environment, you could do either of the following two things: use a separate computer solely for writing purposes (which has no fancy applications). Skellie is one blogger who uses this method of a separate Macbook for writing.

A better idea is to use an application to block out all distractions. Darkroom (WriteRoom for Mac) has been for long a blogger’s productivity tool and a prime weapon in their arsenal, but there are better options.

Q10 for a productive writing environment

Weighing in at just 896 KB for the full portable version with spell checker, Q10 is one such application for Windows that improves upon the idea of WriteRoom and DarkRoom. Q10 features a full black screen similar to DarkRoom, a better default font and colors etc. A status bar is present at the bottom, which shows useful information like number of words, pages and characters.

In addition to the default installer, portable versions of the installer are available. I would recommend using the portable edition so that you can save your data even in case of switching between computers (simply drop them to a USB drive and copy it to the other computer’s hard drive).

Files are stored in standard text files, which makes it easy to use with some other program. For example, the .txt files can be copy/pasted to Windows Live Writer or WordPress post editor once you’re done writing. Instead of an ugly green font-color, Q10 goes with a normal white text on black background. At least to me, that is a big bonus, because we’re used to high contrast and require it.

Q10 Features

Spell check is a feature that I find myself using often with Q10. Also, you can set an alarm to speed up writing.

The width of the layout can be specified. Tip: Use a value between 600px and 900px, because it has been scientifically proven that short widths for reading columns are the best (and is the reason why newspapers have narrow columns).

Auto-correction is another feature that can be utilized wisely. Common characters are changed to specified ones. For example, two dashes will be changed to a double dash (long dash). Tip: Use the auto-correction facility to speed up writing HTML code for posts. For example, set a text string like ahref to be replaced automatically by <a href=”"></a> and then simply type ahref where you want a link. The HTML code for a hyper link will appear there, and you can fill up the link destination and link text.

Unconventional Shortcuts

The only gripe that I have discovered is that shortcuts are not standard. For example, exiting Q10 requires Control+Q, and not the usual Alt+F4. Not only did I use Alt+F4 instinctively and waste time, but Q10′s shortcut (Control+Q is rather difficult to type quickly when you’re touch-typing). But this is a small price to pay for such a wonderful application.

Along with some other productivity measures, I have been able to write in 6-8 hours, the same number of posts that I had earlier written in a week (because I’m away from home on weekdays).

Download Q10 (Windows Only, freeware)

Written by Sumesh, who blogs at TechZilo about software (reviews/hacks/tips), web apps and occasional blogging tips. Don’t forget to Subscribe to TechZilo’s RSS feed

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