There are a number of speech recognition software packages that might suit your needs. Some of them are available for free if you have the base version of the package.
I plan to try out the ones included with Word and Google Docs later today once I've rested my wrist for a little while. Do you have any recommendations for any you've used? I'm open to trying several programs over the weekend.
I'd love to hear your experiences with dictation and what software you used. I have a first draft of a book that I wrote by hand that I've just starting dictating into Ulysses using the native dictation tool in it. It works pretty well but I have to go back chapter by chapter and clean it up after I've dictated it. Not too bad and saves me from typing it all in, plus I get to hear where my sentences are "difficult" to read/understand.
That's a good point I hadn't considered. Dictating will help me get a better idea of which sentences work well in my stories right away. If I get used to doing it, perhaps it will help me produce novels faster without suffering a drop in quality.
I was just wondering if this might be an option. I seem to recall Jimmy Doom saying he uses transcription software - might be worth checking in with him for tips.
I can absolutely feel for you on having an injury that affects your ability to write! When I was in 8th grade on Labor Day weekend I went rollerblading with a friend (1st and last time) and ended up breaking my lower right arm. It was such a bad break I added an extra joint, breaking both the ulna and the radius, but it could have been much worse. I had been wearing a fiberglass wrist guard that I snapped in half with the force of the impact. It carried the force of the break down my arm and kept my wrist from shattering. The bones ended up not setting right and had to be rebroken through surgery and I had 2 plates and 12 screws put in and later taken out and I spent the entire year in a cast or a splint. Being right handed and being put into an elbow cast I couldn’t write at all. Either my father had to write my homework for me with me dictating to him or for classes like language where we journaled I could speak into a tape recorder. It was a hell of a year! I sincerely hope you recover swiftly! ❤️
That sounds like an excruciating ordeal. I don't think I could stand spending a full year in a cast or splint. (I don't blame you for not going rollerblading again. No one could pay me to even touch another pair of rollerblades if the same things had happened to me.)
Thank you so much for the well wishes, Cassie. I sincerely appreciate it.
Fortunately only the first time I was in a cast was it the elbow type that constricted movement and kept me from extending my arm. My arm was twinging really bad one night when my dad and I were doing my homework so we went to the hospital. They broke the cast, X-rayed and recast without the elbow part. Discovered my bones weren’t healing straight but growing inward and pinching my nerves. Had the surgery the next day to rebreak the bones and set them straight with the plates and screws otherwise, I would have lost function of my fingers and wrist. Again, I had a short cast after the surgery and later on the splint also ended before the elbow instead of going past which made things sooo much easier. The first few weeks before we realized it wasn’t healing properly were the worst. The year wasn’t so bad, I was even able to be active in P. E. again as long as it wasn’t something like volleyball that required my arm making contact with something. There were definitely some creative solutions to get around things though! Showering with a cast is not something I EVER want to do again! 😂😅
Thank you. I've been taking it easy writing wise. Will only do one Strange New Worlds newsletter this week instead of the two I normally send out. My wrist has improved a bit since last week. The healing is slow-going, but at least it's healing.
Typing with my left hand is a little slow and tedious. I do fine with comments or short posts on Notes. Longer projects like emails or newsletters take so long to complete. Defintely trying out dictation software for my fiction this weekend so I don't fall way behind while my wrist heals.
There are a number of speech recognition software packages that might suit your needs. Some of them are available for free if you have the base version of the package.
I plan to try out the ones included with Word and Google Docs later today once I've rested my wrist for a little while. Do you have any recommendations for any you've used? I'm open to trying several programs over the weekend.
I'd love to hear your experiences with dictation and what software you used. I have a first draft of a book that I wrote by hand that I've just starting dictating into Ulysses using the native dictation tool in it. It works pretty well but I have to go back chapter by chapter and clean it up after I've dictated it. Not too bad and saves me from typing it all in, plus I get to hear where my sentences are "difficult" to read/understand.
That's a good point I hadn't considered. Dictating will help me get a better idea of which sentences work well in my stories right away. If I get used to doing it, perhaps it will help me produce novels faster without suffering a drop in quality.
I don't know what you use to write in but at least for my iMac - Ulysses, Scrivener and Word all have dictation tools.
Take care and have a good holiday weekend.
I use Word and Google docs, so I'll definitely test those out to start.
Hope you have a good holiday weekend as well.
I was just wondering if this might be an option. I seem to recall Jimmy Doom saying he uses transcription software - might be worth checking in with him for tips.
Holy cow, I’m sorry. Your hands are your livelihood. Hoping for a quick recovery so you can get back to great writing.
Thank you, Melanie. Crossing my fingers that I'll be as good as new in a couple of weeks.
I can absolutely feel for you on having an injury that affects your ability to write! When I was in 8th grade on Labor Day weekend I went rollerblading with a friend (1st and last time) and ended up breaking my lower right arm. It was such a bad break I added an extra joint, breaking both the ulna and the radius, but it could have been much worse. I had been wearing a fiberglass wrist guard that I snapped in half with the force of the impact. It carried the force of the break down my arm and kept my wrist from shattering. The bones ended up not setting right and had to be rebroken through surgery and I had 2 plates and 12 screws put in and later taken out and I spent the entire year in a cast or a splint. Being right handed and being put into an elbow cast I couldn’t write at all. Either my father had to write my homework for me with me dictating to him or for classes like language where we journaled I could speak into a tape recorder. It was a hell of a year! I sincerely hope you recover swiftly! ❤️
That sounds like an excruciating ordeal. I don't think I could stand spending a full year in a cast or splint. (I don't blame you for not going rollerblading again. No one could pay me to even touch another pair of rollerblades if the same things had happened to me.)
Thank you so much for the well wishes, Cassie. I sincerely appreciate it.
Fortunately only the first time I was in a cast was it the elbow type that constricted movement and kept me from extending my arm. My arm was twinging really bad one night when my dad and I were doing my homework so we went to the hospital. They broke the cast, X-rayed and recast without the elbow part. Discovered my bones weren’t healing straight but growing inward and pinching my nerves. Had the surgery the next day to rebreak the bones and set them straight with the plates and screws otherwise, I would have lost function of my fingers and wrist. Again, I had a short cast after the surgery and later on the splint also ended before the elbow instead of going past which made things sooo much easier. The first few weeks before we realized it wasn’t healing properly were the worst. The year wasn’t so bad, I was even able to be active in P. E. again as long as it wasn’t something like volleyball that required my arm making contact with something. There were definitely some creative solutions to get around things though! Showering with a cast is not something I EVER want to do again! 😂😅
Hope and pray that your wrist heals fast and properly. Just take it easy and don't push things.
Thank you, Geneva. Wise advice. I plan to rest my wrist as much as possible and adjust my summer writing plans accordingly.
So sorry about the injury, hope you heal up fast! Just downloaded Alien People, sounds cool!
Thank you. The doctor thinks it should be better in a couple of weeks. Hope so.
(Hope you enjoy Alien People. Happy reading!)
Sorry to hear about your injury, John. I hope you get better soon. Rest up so we can enjoy more of your writing!
Thank you, Brian. Hoping I can conquer this tendonitis quickly.
Yikes! That sounds awful. Take care of yourself and hope you get well soon!
Thank you. I've been taking it easy writing wise. Will only do one Strange New Worlds newsletter this week instead of the two I normally send out. My wrist has improved a bit since last week. The healing is slow-going, but at least it's healing.
Glad things are going in the right direction :-) Don't work too hard!
Wow, that is an intense series of arm injuries! Hope it heals up fast. How's your one handed typing?
Typing with my left hand is a little slow and tedious. I do fine with comments or short posts on Notes. Longer projects like emails or newsletters take so long to complete. Defintely trying out dictation software for my fiction this weekend so I don't fall way behind while my wrist heals.
Hope the dictation works out!