Dictation - by Adam David Collings

Everyone seems to be talking about dictation these days. A number of big-name indie authors swear by it, crediting it for improved efficiency and the high volume of output necessary to reach their level of success. The idea is simple. You talk to your phone or computer, and your voice is converted to text.

When I first started hearing about this new fad I wasn't overly interested. After all, I can type reasonably quickly, and I enjoy the feel of the keys beneath my fingers. Talking is not something that comes naturally to me, so why go down that path?

But there are some potential health benefit to dictation. Those who suffer from RSI in their wrists may find a great deal of relief. Then, there is the ability to walk while you work.

I used to do a lot of walking. I'd walk 15 mins from the car park into work, and then 15 mins back again. This daily ritual began to fade as I found myself working from home more often. My fitness has definitely gone down, and my clothes are getting too tight. Time to get back into exercise. But when? I was recently bemoaning to myself about lack of time. Sure, I could fit more walking into my day, but it's time-consuming, and I'm already trying to squeeze time into my day for writing. Then I remembered the dictation craze. Maybe there was something in this after all. Could I possibly kill two birds with one cliche?

But What about Cost?

The tool that everybody seems to be using is Dragon Dictate/Naturally Speaking. A quick check indicates you'll be out of pocket over $100. A reasonable investment, especially since many have a lot of trouble training the software to effectively recognise their voice. However, there are free options. Modern-day smartphones do a great job of understanding speech without training through products such as Google Now, Siri, and Cortana. It seems Google have been leveraging that technology toward dictation. Google Documents now has a voice typing mode. Another reason to love this free tool, and you can always copy the transcribed text into Scrivener or Word afterward.

What about mobile?

That's all well and good, but you don't want to lug a laptop around with you while you walk, so I had a look to see if I could use the phone app for google documents to dictate. The mobile app doesn't make mention of voice typing itself, but the standard google keyboard has a microphone button, which enables voice typing mode.

I'm using the Android platform, but a quick search indicates that both iPhone and Windows phone also have voice typing options. After a quick experiment, I found that Google voice typing did a pretty good job of understanding my speech. There was an incorrect word here and there, but no less than the inevitable typos that creep into my writing anyway. Getting the punctuation right might be a bit of a pain, but in a recent podcast, author Joanna Penn indicated she planned to dictate without any punctuation, and sort that out at the computer later.

Proponents of dictation often suggest you start by dictating an outline or brainstorming notes, rather than launching straight into first-draft material. This sounds like a good idea. I plan to give this a go sometime soon. With 24 planned episodes in my episodic serial, I have plenty of outlining ahead of me.

Dictation won't be for everyone, it might not even be for me, I don't know yet, but it seems there are no longer any barriers to giving it a go. The only problem that I have yet to find a solution to, is not a technical problem. The issue is that of self-consciousness. Namely, when you bump into someone during your walk, and they notice you talking into your phone. I think a quiet area where you're unlikely to come across other people might be wise.

So what about you? Have you tried dictation? Does it sound like something you might want to try?

---

Adam David Collings is an author of speculative fiction. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife and two children. Adam draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith.

Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam discusses these on his own youTube show – Stories with Adam Collings.

Find him at adamdavidcollings.com or sign up to his email list for a free short story.

5 Ways To Secure the Long Term Health of Your Writing Career

What's going on when you're writing? Are you slumped over the computer or slouched in bed with the laptop and a few... ok, a packet of Tim Tams?

Some of you know I suffer from migraines which I try to keep under control with a gluten-free/dairy-free lifestyle. Over the last three years, my writing time has increased to the point where my body is starting to rebel. It not only demands good nutrition, it's been crying out for the right posture and exercise. After a few weeks of sore wrists last month, I chatted to a dear chiropractor friend about the steps I can take to prevent the injuries associated with repetitive hours at the computer. Here's what Dr Alissa Buda shared with me.

1. Look at your posture. Are you hunched over your work? Do your forearms rest on the table or are they too high? Your chair should be high enough that when your feet are firmly on the floor, your hips should be about 15 degrees to your knees. Computer screens should be at eye level.

2. Minimise inflammation in your body. There are a few ways to do this. Take a daily liquid fish oil supplement (which has a higher EPA count than capsules and therefore, more effective for this purpose), minimise grains in your diet, and exercise daily. Even just a 15 minute walk is better than nothing.

3. Learn to move on purpose. Sitting for too many hours is horrible for you health and increases your risk of chronic diseases, so get up and move. Rotate your shoulders when sitting for long periods. You may even want to investigate Pilates, as it has a strong focus on posture and core strength. Take regular breaks, even when you're in a writing groove. Stand up for 30 seconds and stretch.

4. Stretch even when you're sitting. Place your right arm in front of you, elbow extended and palm down. Bend your  wrist toward the floor and pull your hand slightly with your left hand, increasing the bend. You should feel the stretch on the outside of your forearm. Next, bend your wrist toward the ceiling and pull you hand slightly with your left hand, increasing the bend. Now you should feel the stretch in the inner forearm. To increase the stretch, slowly curl your fingers. Repeat with other arm.

5. Jump on a magnesium and calcium supplement which is great for muscle spasms.

These hints are only a starting point, and individual cases should be discussed with a personal physician. I've found the stretching hint very helpful and even in this wintery rain, I'm trying to take more walks.

How about you? Are you with me?

What are you doing to ensure the long term health and future of your writing career?

********************

Dorothy Adamek writes Historical Romance. She lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three teenagers, drinks coffee with rice milk, and is not a great fan of walks in the rain. She loves to sift through all things yesteryear and writes about it at Ink Dots.  

(photo source - love reading and writing)