A Block
Vaporizer! Speak your Writing and Record
it
Speak your writing and record it. Stuck?
Often just talking about what it is that
you have in mind, can bring a lot more
ideas and developments to mind. So
record what you want to communicate,
then transcribe it and edit it later.
When you speak, you are spending very
little conscious attention to what it is
you are saying - it just comes out! This
is an easy and brilliant way to defeat
your “squelcher” and get you started
expressing. You can get on a roll
immediately!
Use transcription software (Express
Scribe, Transcriber) to make it easier
to control the playback for your typing.
Or use an internet service like
idictate.com, or Fantastic Transcripts,
etc.
Remember, the biggest block to your
writing freely is trying to rethink,
revise and rewrite at the same time as
you are creating. But, this is how
you’ve been taught to write, and it has
become the natural way you write. Bust
that habit by speaking your ideas.
Many non-fiction authors and reporters
are now taking this to another level by
just talking their books and articles,
having that output transcribed and then
— editing to the finished product. But
this method is equally valuable for any
kind of writing.
You can experiment with letting the
computer transcribe it on the fly by
using software like “Dragon Naturally
Speaking” or “iListen”. (I haven’t had a
lot of satisfaction from this process —
YMWV.)
You can use this if you have a long
journey in a car. Record your book while
you drive. Your unconscious is driving
anyway, let it write at the same time.
It easily can… and will!
This can be a great technique to build
the chapter outline and/or to describe
the setting and vision for the detailed
writing to come. Or even better, just
riff on all the ideas that you have had
bouncing around in your mind. Creating
brilliance is hampered by criticism at
this first step point, so if you can let
yourself just talk about all the ideas
that you have and then edit and expand
on them in writing later, you will find
that your writing will just flow and the
blocks vaporize.
I know numerous people who have roughed
out their entire book this way. If you
have it setup in your head already, this
can be a quick way to produce. Even if
you have no idea on where to go, this
can be a turbocharger for your
productivity. Just talk it out.
Also many more people have taken their
teleseminar or live seminar transcripts
and edited those into the meat of a
book.
If you are more able to talk over the
phone there are numerous recording
systems that will both record the call
and transcribe it for you. See above or
search for telephone transcription.
Keep talking and writing!
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