Let’s discuss the basics of dictation and how you can use your voice to finish your first draft. Dictation is a great way to get your thoughts down on paper without having to worry about spelling or grammar. All you need is a microphone and a text-to-speech app.
Benefits of Using Dictation
If you’re a budding author, you might be wondering if using dictation to write your book is a good idea. After all, it’s not the traditional way of writing a novel. But there are actually quite a few benefits to using dictation to write your book.
For one thing, it can help you to write faster. When you’re typing, you might find yourself pausing to think about what you want to say next. But with dictation, you can just keep talking and let the words flow. This can help you to get your ideas down on paper (or screen) much faster.
Dictating your first draft can also help you to avoid distractions. When you’re typing, it’s easy to get distracted by the internet, social media, or other things around you. But when you’re dictating, you’re more focused on the task at hand. This can help you to stay on track and get your book written more quickly.
The Best Ways to Use Dictation
There are a few ways to dictate your first draft. You can use dictation software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking, or you can use a speech-to-text feature built into many operating systems. If you’re using a Mac, you can enable dictation in the keyboard settings. In Windows you can dictate by opening the Windows speech recognition tool. Once you’ve enabled dictation, start talking. After you’re finished, copy and paste into your word processing tool.
How to Get Started Using Dictation
There are a few things to keep in mind when dictating your work:
- Dictation works best when you have a basic roadmap in place. For non-fiction writers, a brief outline of the content you’re planning to dictate will help you stay on task. If you’re writing fiction, having a framework for your scene written down or planned out in your head will make your dictation time more productive.
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. If you speak too quickly, your words will run together and be difficult to understand. If you speak too slowly, you’ll get bored and your thoughts will wander.
- Take breaks as needed. If you need to stop to think about what you want to say next, that’s totally fine! Just make sure to mention to your microphone that you’re taking a break.
- Read over your work once you’re done. Remember, this is a first draft, so don’t worry about perfection. Just get your thoughts down. The editing will happen later.
Common Mistakes Writers Make With Dictation
As someone who relies heavily on dictation to get her writing done, I’ve come across a few common mistakes that writers make when using this tool. Here are a few of the most common mistakes I’ve seen:
Expecting Perfection
Just because your words have been transcribed doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Dictation is a skill that requires practice. The good news is you’ll improve with every session. Dictation is a great tool for getting your thoughts down quickly, but it’s not always perfect. You’ll need to do some editing to your transcript before it’s ready for publication.
Not training your dictation software
If you want your dictation software to work well, you need to train it. This means spending some time dictating different types of text, so that the software can learn your voice and style. There are a variety of free speech-to-text apps as well as transcription services to help you succeed at dictating your first draft. You might have to try a few until you find the tool that works best for you and your budget.
Not using a microphone
If you want your dictation to be accurate, you need to use a good microphone. Don’t try to use your computer’s built-in microphone; invest in a good quality external microphone.
Feeling Self-Conscious
This was my biggest hurdle to overcome when I first started using dictation to finish my first draft. After many stops and starts, I finally learned to feel comfortable telling myself the story. Once I reached that state, the creative process became fun again because I was able to temporarily mute that cruel internal editor who camps out in my head.
Remember, when you’re dictating, you need to speak clearly and enunciate your words. Otherwise, your dictation software will have a hard time understanding you. By avoid these common mistakes, you can make sure that your dictation experience is a positive one.
Final Thoughts on Using Dictation to Finish Your First Draft
Dictation can be a great way to get your thoughts down quickly, and it can be more comfortable than typing for long periods of time. So if you’ve been dreaming of writing your book but haven’t been able to find the time, give dictation a try. I’m delighted to share that Dictation 101, a self-paced digital course teaching writers how to harness the power of their voice to finish their first draft, is currently open for enrollment. Interested in learning more? Get all the juicy details here.
