Sharique Hasan

Dictation

Writing requires significant effort, and typing on a computer all day can cause considerable damage to your hands. Dictation, when executed well, can help prevent wrist and hand pain while enhancing writing efficiency.

There are numerous ways to dictate academic articles. For example, Google Docs has a built-in dictation feature, but it is not very effective. Apple also provides an integrated dictation option, accessible through the settings menu.

Personally, I use DragonDictate. However, in recent years, it has become challenging since Dragon only develops software for Microsoft Windows, and I am a Mac user. I tried Dragon mobile but found it less useful than DragonDictate on my personal computer. To resolve this issue, I purchased a small Windows laptop—an HP—and installed two dictation software programs.

  1. DragonDictate Professional
  2. Sublime Text Editor for dictation

The compact design of my laptop, combined with the standard microphone and the aforementioned software, provides a high-quality dictation experience, allowing me to dictate most of my manuscripts on this device.

Additionally, I have downloaded and installed Dropbox, saving all my dictation files (typically TXT files) in a shared folder. This enables me to access my dictated text on any computer.

To set and achieve daily word count targets, I have also installed a word-counting code on my Sublime Text Editor. In fact, the first version of this guide was dictated.

I find two methods particularly effective in helping me dictate more efficiently:

  1. Creating an outline of the main points I wish to cover significantly enhances the quality of my dictation when writing a manuscript.
  2. Enunciating words clearly and speaking slowly are also beneficial.

Lastly, recognizing that the first draft of your dictation will not be the final draft can be liberating. Treat your dictation as version 1.0, and multiple rounds of edits will transform it into a comprehensive manuscript.

In a way, the purpose of dictation is to help overcome the initial barrier to writing (I like to tell my kids that this is the hardest part, “getting over the fence”). As a professional writer, the hardest part is getting started. Dictation allows me to put some words on the page, even if they are not perfect, creating enough momentum to kickstart my writing and ensure a productive workday.