Coffee With David

As you have read in my previous blog entries you would have read that I am starting to dictate my stories out of necessity. I also wrote about how I did not think I would buy dictating software, but would transcribe my stories myself. I have been rethinking that position. Dictation software requires that you speak in a certain way that breaks my flow of the story as I dictate. What do I mean? Let me use a made up example:

This is written as I imagine the lines to be when I dictate:
Bob entered the gambling hall, his hand sitting on the butt of his pistol. His gray eyes stared hard into each person’s face, as he searched for just the one he was looking for.
“Hey,” a voice called out in panic, “He as a gun!”

Now, here is how I would have to say it into any software:
Bob entered the gambling hall coma his hand sitting on the butt of his pistol period His gray eyes stared hard into each person’s face coma as he searched for just the one he was looking for period
Open quotation mark Hey comma close quotation mark a voice called out in panic comma open quotation mark He as a gun exclamation point close quotation mark

I do know some writers use dictation software and swear by them. To me, this makes the flow very difficult to keep. Yet, as I look at the digital recorder clock off the minutes—hours, I begin to wonder if I really want to sit and transcribe all the time. I ask myself, what are my choices: 1. Transcribe it all myself; 2. Hire someone to transcribe; and 3. Buy dictation software.

All three of these options would require that I go back and proof read, and considering that this would only be the rough draft I HAD BETTER proof read no matter what I did anyway. With that said the issue is the cost of either time, money and/or accuracy of what was dictated. Obviously, if I transcribe myself I can know the accuracy of the transcription. Yet, the cost is in the hours of me transcribing when I could be dictating, working on next drafts, doing market research, and all the other parts of the business.

Hiring someone to transcribe can be costly and I may lose the level of accuracy. However, the positive side to it is that I regain what I would lose if I did the transcription and it there would be less likeliness of something asking “what was that?” or “please repeat?” that software would ask if there was a problem.

From the above you can deduce the problems I might run into with software. Yet, the expense of the software is only about $100 (varies on the product) compared to the cost in wages of hiring someone.

I can easily understand why Sidney Sheldon and Erle Stanly Gardner had secretaries. No matter what I do, I need to make a decision soon. Does any of my readers use dictation software? If so, what are your thoughts and experiences?

Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for the latest information on the articles, blogs, novels, poems, and stories that I write.

Written on 9/8/09

This is my first entry in over a week as my laptop has been broken again. I need to buy a back up notebook or laptop, but it is not in the budget at the moment. If it was not for a friend loaning me their spare laptop, I would not be writing this now.

Last year, I sat down and came up with a writing plan with deadlines for 2009. I am a planner and goal setter. 2009 has almost shattered that aspect in me—for I have weighed myself down in blame for not being able to meet 90% or more of those deadlines. In self-defense I had no idea that my laptop—my main writing instrument—would be down for a total of a month and a half of almost no production. Nor did I perceive how much change would occur at my bill paying job. My estimate of the changes in the States and Federal Government systems I deal with in that bill paying job, while calculated higher than in previous years, fell woefully short of the actuality. The sum total of the year was a lot of missed deadlines and many lessons to learn.

My writing is a business and I treat it as such. I know that my goals have not been met for this year and as I am ending the third quarter of 2009, I know they cannot be met. While I am disappointed, angry, and frustrated, the fact is all I can do is begin to plan for next year.

I want to thank my readers for staying with me and encouraging me along the way. I hope to have more stories and poems in print in the near future.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com. It will be updated when I receive my laptop back. However, it does contain information on the articles, stories, poems, and novels I write.