I hate writing. I really do. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy telling stories and talking about places and people.
I just don’t like typing away on the keyboard.
Somebody told me a long time ago to write as if you were speaking directly to someone. So now when I write an article I always try to write as if I’m speaking directly to a friend, but sometimes it’s hard to type as if you were talking to somebody.
I think I might have found a solution and it seems to be working pretty good. I came across a product called Dragon Naturally Speaking. Dragon is the world’s best-selling speech recognition software. Once installed on your computer Dragon allows you to speak naturally and compose messages and emails, surf the web and has numerous other capabilities.
The good folks at Nuance software afforded me a review copy of Dragon some time ago. Since then I’ve been experimenting with it using to write articles and emails and genuinely having a blast learning all of the new things that the software allows you to do. So now, for me anyways, it seems easier to write articles because I can just talk naturally. Dragon allows you to use all the popular word processing applications whether you are operating a PC or Mac. By using your voice you can turn the microphone on or off, open and close documents, search the web, post items to various social networking sites, and manage files and photos.
The software is pretty cool because it adapts to each individual person. And the more you use it the better it gets at recognizing what you’re saying. The software comes with a complete list of instructions on various commands to use and like anything else it becomes easier the more you use it.
And now instead of looking at a blank screen and trying to type out a story I instead open a document and by using my voice turn on the microphone and just start talking. And hopefully as Dragon and I become better acquainted it will be even easier to tell people about the places and things I’ve been privileged to see and maybe inspire others to get out and do a little exploring.
Dragon is great for people that do a lot of writing. Whether it’s writing articles, sending emails, correspondence for work or just work a lot on your computer Dragon makes the job a lot easier.
Dragon is not the only product that Nuance software produces. there is a medical documentation program for physicians, a voice biometric program, other medical transcription programs and programs for businesses and individuals.
For me the Dragon naturally speaking speech recognition software package works fantastic for my purposes. And I would urge you to check out some of the products on their website and see if they might benefit you.
I hope this software helps you and others to get your stories out because as much as I love to write, I do enjoy hearing a great story. 😀
I like it. I find it’s easy to just talk about the subject without trying to translate it to the written word.
They say the easiest reading to read they way it is spoken. I have used the Dragon smartphone app and it works a dream. Good write up or should I say chat. Cheers
That is why I love my Mac. The Mac has a built in voice dictation which has made my writing easier. I do public speaking a lot, so it allows me to present and story-tell like I do when giving presentation. It allows my writing to sound more human and natural. I also love that I can get my thoughts down easier. 🙂
This looks like great software! I’m glad this technology is out there! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Glad to know a product such as this on exists!
Interesting …
I’ve heard about Dragon before for the same benefits you’ve mentioned above and I can’t really think of a good reason for my not using it already. The only downside I can really see is people thinking you’re talking to yourself should you use Dragon on your netbook in the back of a bus somewhere in the middle of S.E.A.
It works pretty good and the more you use it the smarter it gets at recognizing words. Kinda scary.
Good idea. Though I’m so used to typing, I’d forget to turn it on. Heck I hardly use my Sony voice recorder.
It’s a handy tool and since I wrote the article the product has improved even more. Thanks for stopping by.
I had no idea such product exists. Although I find writing a bit more fun, this product is quite intriguing I will recommend this to a friend who talks a lot, and who’s also a good writer. He does a lot of writing. This will be of great use to him. Thanks for sharing!
Question though.. are these words (in your article) came out of your mouth and were translated by Dragon into written words?
Hi Sofia, thanks for stopping by. I used Dragon for the the article, I did the talking and Dragon did the writing.
That’s cool. I too get these temporary bouts of inertia when my mind refuses to instruct my hands to work on the keyboard. I hate the idea of typing away and the words do not flow.
This software would definitely a boon to sit back and just let the words flow from my mouth.