Coffee With David

As you have read in my previous blog entries you would have read that I am starting to dictate my stories out of necessity. I also wrote about how I did not think I would buy dictating software, but would transcribe my stories myself. I have been rethinking that position. Dictation software requires that you speak in a certain way that breaks my flow of the story as I dictate. What do I mean? Let me use a made up example:

This is written as I imagine the lines to be when I dictate:
Bob entered the gambling hall, his hand sitting on the butt of his pistol. His gray eyes stared hard into each person’s face, as he searched for just the one he was looking for.
“Hey,” a voice called out in panic, “He as a gun!”

Now, here is how I would have to say it into any software:
Bob entered the gambling hall coma his hand sitting on the butt of his pistol period His gray eyes stared hard into each person’s face coma as he searched for just the one he was looking for period
Open quotation mark Hey comma close quotation mark a voice called out in panic comma open quotation mark He as a gun exclamation point close quotation mark

I do know some writers use dictation software and swear by them. To me, this makes the flow very difficult to keep. Yet, as I look at the digital recorder clock off the minutes—hours, I begin to wonder if I really want to sit and transcribe all the time. I ask myself, what are my choices: 1. Transcribe it all myself; 2. Hire someone to transcribe; and 3. Buy dictation software.

All three of these options would require that I go back and proof read, and considering that this would only be the rough draft I HAD BETTER proof read no matter what I did anyway. With that said the issue is the cost of either time, money and/or accuracy of what was dictated. Obviously, if I transcribe myself I can know the accuracy of the transcription. Yet, the cost is in the hours of me transcribing when I could be dictating, working on next drafts, doing market research, and all the other parts of the business.

Hiring someone to transcribe can be costly and I may lose the level of accuracy. However, the positive side to it is that I regain what I would lose if I did the transcription and it there would be less likeliness of something asking “what was that?” or “please repeat?” that software would ask if there was a problem.

From the above you can deduce the problems I might run into with software. Yet, the expense of the software is only about $100 (varies on the product) compared to the cost in wages of hiring someone.

I can easily understand why Sidney Sheldon and Erle Stanly Gardner had secretaries. No matter what I do, I need to make a decision soon. Does any of my readers use dictation software? If so, what are your thoughts and experiences?

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