Dictation Demystified

Do you cringe when you hear the word “dictation?” There’s no need to be intimidated by the word or the process. When someone says the word “narrate,” does that set off alarm bells? I doubt it. There’s a really simple reason behind this example.

“When you change the way you look at the world, the world you look at will change.”

– Wayne Dyer

The perception around dictation is more intense for some people so they find themselves becoming intimidated by the concept. Instead, I suggest you look at it as narrating.

Tips For Narrating (Dictating) Your Next Book:

Outline your book first by making a list of topics you would like to cover. Then choose one topic to “talk” about.
Label this recording with the topic title. This will make it easier for you when you to to arrange your recordings into a readable book.
Google Docs and MS Word both offer a talk-to-text option. This is a simple and free way to get your thoughts down on paper.
**Do Not Watch The Screen As You Dictate!** The whole point of this exercise is to get your thoughts down, not to edit as you go. If you watch the screen, you will find yourself stumbling around in your speech and trying to edit as you go. Instead, hit record and start talking. Edit later!
If you don’t want to use talk-to-text options you can record your story and send it to a transcriptionist to type it up for you. Again, don’t worry about editing here.
After all of this is said and done, now you can send it to an editor who will work on your punctuation, grammar and sentence syntax.

If you are struggling to try to find time to sit at the computer and write your book, then perhaps narration is the best option for you. I know it has made a drastic change in my writing projects.