Old Dogs and New (Writing) Tricks
As I prepare this blog post, I am just a few days away from writing The End on my next book, which will be the first in a new series. My cover designer has been away on vacation, but very soon I hope to have a cover to share.
I have loved watching this story come together. It will be my 99th release. (I may throw myself a party next year when #100 comes out!)
My first two and a half novels were written long hand on legal pads, then typed on a typewriter (with carbon copies on onion skin paper). I got a computer the month my first book released, and I learned to use it as I entered that first half of my third novel.
All of the books written over the next forty-plus years were written on a desktop and/or laptop computer. I spent the first twenty-two years using Windows computers and the next twenty years using Macs. Writing for me has meant sitting (and sometimes standing) someplace and moving my fingers on a keyboard.
Off and on over the years, especially when I have dealt with back or neck or wrist issues, I’ve thought about learning to dictate my books. I even invested in Dragon Naturally Speaking over two decades ago. But my attempts at it always failed. I would quickly decide that my writing process required fingers on keyboard to work. I often dictate short text messages without any problems at all. But dictating my fictional world proved stubbornly difficult.
However, I kept hearing about more and more authors (writers I know and whose books I love) who dictate their novels. Many of them dictate while out walking, doing healthier things for their bodies than sitting hunched over a keyboard. And so recently I determined that I am going to learn to dictate my stories (hey, people have been telling stories verbally for thousands of years, since long before written language came to be).
I have two primary reasons to want to teach myself to do this: (1) Health reasons: I want to get out of my chair and moving more, protecting my back/neck/wrists and getting in those steps while still getting the writing I need to do done every day. And (2) Speed reasons: We speak faster than we can type. The writers I’ve talked to about dictating or who I’ve heard speak on the topic write their books much faster than I write mine. I want to join them.
One of the best ways to make sure that I don’t give up (because it is hard and I stumble around a lot) is to tell others of my intention. Accountability!!
Thus I’ve told the writers who attend my writing sprints of my intention, and now I am telling those of you who read this blog the same. I promise not to give up or give in. I will retrain my brain to speak my story. I’m scheduled to attend a dictation boot camp in September which I hope will help.
I know that the retraining of my brain probably means lots of sessions where I will feel like I can’t do it. But I will persevere because this old writing dog is determined to learn this new trick.
Have you learned any new tricks lately? Please share.
~robin
Discover more from Inspired by Life . . . and Fiction
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I would love to dictate my first drafts! I tried dictation last year but failed miserably, and when you’re on a deadline, there’s no time for that. Maybe when I finish my series, before I pitch something new, I’ll practice again. I hope you succeed in learning this new trick soon!
Sarah Elizabeth Sawyer, who teaches workshops on dictating fiction, says not to try to learn using the novel you are trying to finish soon. Practice with other things. Short fiction. Dictate your Morning Pages. I’ve found that dictating dialogue-heavy scenes is pretty easy for me. More narrative and I stumble around a lot. But I’m making progress.
Good for you, Robin! I’ve never tried dictation. I’ve always been a better writer than speaker, and I’ve never been a free flow creator. I’m an analytical creator who constantly edits as I write, so I’m not sure dictation fits into that process very well. I’m also very visual. Seeing the words on the screen make them real and concrete, while thinking and speaking leaves them feeling very nebulous. Plus, to be completely honest, I think I would be embarassed to talk to myself as I was walking. Even if no one was around. I’m proud of the books I produce, but during the creation stage, I keep the words very close to the chest until I have the chance to make them presentable. Maybe these are just excuses, or maybe they are reasons why dictation might not be a good fit for me. I don’t know. But I’ll be interested in learning more about your journey. Maybe I can join your old dog club one day. 🙂
LOL! I edit lots as I write too. So dictation means I’m saying things like, No, I didn’t mean that. Ha! For now, I am dictating very small amounts, then having them transcribe, and I fix them. Which means for now, I am also doing my learning while still sitting at the computer.
Good for you trying something new! I haven’t tried dictating my first draft yet, but like you, I keep hearing good things. You’ve inspired me to give it a try!
It really is encouraging to learn what other authors are dictating their first drafts. One author who lives in a rural area with a long driveway just walks up and down the drive as she dictates. Another has a gizmo that holds her phone in front of her so that she sees the words appearing on the screen. So lots of different ways to do it.
Good for you, Robin! I dictate lists, texts, emails, brainstorming my novels for sure, and I’ve tried to dictate the actual “writing” but haven’t had overwhelming success at it. The best success, though, has been with dictating dialogue of characters who are very clear in my head (it’s just like recording their conversations). But as with everything, we must walk before run, right? I’ll be watching your progress and learning. : )
Dialogue definitely seems to be easier. I hope it won’t take me as long as I think it might. LOL!