That actually sounds like it would be totally be ok.
If the goal is to get a distraction free writing tool all you really need is something like Vi, emacs or Wordstar/Joe in a terminal.
I never had an ipak but I did have a couple of Sharp Zaurus PDAs running Linux back in the day.
Just for kicks. I never did much with them.
None of the bundled software is designed for using a keyboard, of course, so it’s going to be just as DIY as the very earliest Linux handhelds. (Anyone else remember the awful HP “iPaq” PDA Linux environment? I set one up because I could, and them never see the device again because the UX and battery life were so bad.)