We have written it before: writing is hard work. At no time is writing any harder than it is when the product of the writing is “high stakes.” Maybe a job depends on the writing, a promotion, or a diploma. It’s during these stressful times that we hope all of our training, concentration, and skill will get us through the process of producing texts. Sometimes, it does. Other times, it doesn’t.
A confession: when I took my comprehensive exams for the Ph.D., I knew that I understood the material, but I was afraid of the exam setting. My exam structure was such that I had three questions, one each day over a three-day time period, and I had five hours each day to answer that day’s question. I could have no notes or books with me. It was a daunting task. Like most people taking these kinds of exams, I wanted to “wow” my committee by my command of the exhaustive material and to impress them with my beautiful prose. And yes, I added that kind of pressure to myself in an already pressurized situation.
On the first day of the exam period, as I sat down to compose on the computer, the pressure of the situation hit full force. My mind froze. I didn’t know where to start writing, as so many thoughts, sources, and theories swirled around in my head. The blank page on the monitor and the clock ticking down in the corner of the screen overwhelmed me. I could see myself failing and living under bridge for the rest of my life.
Then I remembered a trick I’d used in earlier writing tasks: Instead of working silently and composing in my head, I spoke my answers aloud. As I talked to myself, I transcribed / typed my speech into the word processing program. The act of speaking helped me focus on what I wanted to write, and my mind didn’t jump to my next point before I’d finished writing the current idea or back to a prior point that I needed to revise. The words flowed. The writing came very easily as I talked my way to the end of each question.
This method was valuable to me (I passed my exams!), and it’s one that I continue to use with many of my writing tasks today. I frequently speak aloud as I write. However, instead of only speaking aloud in front of a computer, I have learned to speak into an audio recorder. With a recorder, I am not tethered to a computer where I’m tempted to converse with friends and colleagues on Twitter. Instead, I can be away from that kind of distraction. (I typically sit in my car and dictate to myself.)
I record myself on a Sony Linear PCM Recorder, and then I use Dragon Naturally Speaking (dictation software) to transcribe the audio files. This is not a perfect method, as DNS isn’t 100 percent accurate and this method isn’t quite as fast as speaking and typing directly can be, but using a recorder and speech recognition software does work. Using a quality recorder is key to the sound and DSN problems you might experience.
Earlier this week Heather wrote about using audio recording for lectures, “How to Record Your Talking Habits (and Why You Might Want To),” and she has some terrific hints about the use of equipment. If you have adopted an audio recorder for classes, know that you can also use it for your writing.
So, how about you? Do you use audio in your writing? Do you speak as you type? Do you have other helpful audio/vocal writing tips for ProfHacker readers? Please leave your comments and suggestions below.
[Image by Flickr user mrgilles and used under the Creative Commons license.]
