Talk to me: Using dictation software to write

How often do you talk to your computer?

Last month I discussed the growing sophistication of programs that read your writing aloud from word processing programs such as Word or Pages.

Now, let’s look at the programs that allow you to speak your words into your work without using your fingers. Some might be old school enough to remember the first clunky dictation software. It involved a CD-ROM and lots of instructions and commands. Well thankfully the industry has greatly improved while becoming infinitely easier to implement.

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Listen to yourself

Authors have some tremendous tools at their disposal. Powerful bibliographic management software as well as programs to create eye-popping bar charts are just a couple examples. Some of these tools get a lot of buzz. But there are some features of old standards that can surprise.

All of the major word processing software programs offer a Read Aloud feature. This feature reads to you the text you have written. I will speak about Microsoft Word, but these points are true for most of the other word processing programs available on computers or online.

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How to get back on track

You meant business. You gathered all of your research materials and notes. You came up with a plan and set a timeline. You had two solid sessions writing and made some good progress. Things were moving along. Yes, deadlines to disseminate your research and work were looming but the train was moving forward.

Then life started to intervene.

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Be my guest: Finding and connecting with blogs, podcasts, and video channels

Many authors are challenged by the thought of “creating” an author promotional platform, wondering “How do I best communicate with my readers and therefore potential customers about my new book?” Some of the first thoughts that authors have is to contact their colleagues and friends. They may also think of using social media. But one of the best ways that I normally suggest to potential authors to promote their books is to be a guest on various channels that others have created.

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Amazon: friend or foe?

When I ask writers, authors, or publishers about Amazon, I get a variety of responses:

  • I love Amazon. I just ordered laundry detergent from them, and it was really cheap.
  • I try not to order from them but shop locally.
  • Amazon always knows what I will be interested in when I am browsing for something to read.
  • They make ordering so easy, and delivery is so quick!
  • They get me mad because they have the wrong cover for my book, and they won’t change it.
  • When I search for my book, they list the old edition first and I can’t get them to flip it to the new edition. Ugh!
  • They’ve made self-publishing so easy. It is a dream.

Quite the spectrum. When people think of Amazon, they think of books first, which puts them in a Kleenex or Xerox situation from a branding point-of-view. But as you might know, Amazon is way past books and publishing.

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