Weeks Without Writing

by Jeannie Ruesch

In the last few months (prior to this one, that is), I’d established a great momentum.Β  I was writing every day, and always longer than intended.Β  Whether it was new material or rewrites for previous chapters, I was hard at work.Β  In the recent weeks however, the number of hours I’ve had to devote to my writing has amounted to less fingers than I have on one hand.Β  It’s quite a difference.

Noticeable?Β  Absolutely.Β  Which truthfully surprises me a little bit, given how busy things are right now and that by the end of the day, I’m usually brain-tired and ready for sleep.Β  If I could find a way to get twelve hours in six hours of sleep, I’d be happy.Β Β  I am managing to catch up a little on the weekends, but I read somewhere that you can’t ever really catch up on sleep.Β  Your body doesn’t “recover” the lost hours.

Anyway, given all of that, you’d think I wouldn’t have much time to miss the writing.Β  But I do.Β  In fact, at certain commute hours (not morning ones, mind you) I find myself itching for a keyboard to type whatever is in my head.Β Β  So I’ve begun the search for a good dictation program.Β  I thought I had one,Β  not an actual dictation program but a voice translation.Β  It mixes up so many words it wouldn’t make any sense at the end of a short sentence, much less the ones in my head.Β  So I’m hopeful to find a solid app to use that will give me the ability to speak the words, even if I don’t have a lot of time to write them at the moment. Any suggestions?

I love the idea that my commute hours could be used for writing, if I can get comfortable with the idea and the process.Β  I imagine it will be more of a plotting session than an actual scene dictation, but who knows? This is something new for me, so as I try it out, I may just start dictating my books.Β Β  Think my keyboard will get lonely? πŸ™‚

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6 comments

Lavada Dee November 2, 2010 - 9:28 am

Well if your keyboard gets lonely it will just have to adjust. I don’t know of any software that will do what you want but I’ll keep my eyes open. In the meantime keep us posted on what you try. You’ve started a new journey and one most of us go through from time to time in one way or another.

Like anything in real life, this is an opportunity to collect experiences for future stories. Hopefully your body and mind can adjust to the decrease in sleep and all will level out soon.

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Laurie Ryan November 2, 2010 - 4:55 pm

If you get a good system set up, I’ll be interested to know what you used. I carry my little digital recorder with me in the car and use that quite often to dictate scenes. I then have to transcribe them, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since I have more time than you do. But it would be nice to streamline things a bit, eh?

I also think you need to pat yourself on the back for getting ANY writing in with that schedule of yours. πŸ™‚

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Stacey Joy Netzel November 3, 2010 - 7:49 pm

Jeannie, this sounds like a great idea and a way to keep you from going crazy because you don’t have time to write. I wish I could help you with a program suggestion, sorry.

I tried the digital recorder like Laurie, but was too self-conscious of my own voice while talking and then it was twice as bad listening to how stupid I sounded so I never used it more than once. Then my son found it and played with it enough that he assumed it was his. Haven’t seen it in about 8 years. LOL (Wish I could find it because I had a cute recording of my daughter who was 3 at the time, singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo.)

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Jeannie Ruesch November 3, 2010 - 10:50 pm

Lavada, thanks. Yes, it’s definitely a new journey. One I’m trying to find a way to get everything accomplished and still not lose this very important part of who I am. It’s one of those times I thank the gods for technology. LOL

I’ll definitely let you all in on what I try. I’m going to give the voice translator app one more shot and see if it does any better. I’ll get it a grade next time around.

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Jeannie Ruesch November 3, 2010 - 10:51 pm

Hey Laurie, it would be WONDERFUL to streamline this. I envision myself having hours upon hours (I’m wishful thinking…or delusional, whichever you prefer) of recorded notes and scenes. How neat it would be to think I could record an entire book and poof! Have a fully written first draft at the end. (Cue hysterical laughter now…)

But something is better than the next-to-nothing of the last weeks, I think.

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Jeannie Ruesch November 3, 2010 - 10:52 pm

Stacey — that is an EXCELLENT point. Note to self: keep recorder far away from four year old. Or I’d likely never see that again either.

I think the hard part will be in whether I can process thoughts as I sit at a keyboard in my head and voice instead. I have no idea if this will actually work. Just hoping it might. LOL

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