If you are like the rest of the authors I know, you are always trying to find a way to write more efficiently and to make notes to yourself while you run a household and hold down a full – or parttime – job. Have you considered dictating and transcribing to facilitate your writing career? If not, maybe now is the time.

Don’t get intimated or frustrated at the thought of adding another technology to your repertoire – I understand that – I’m not a tech person either but I am into doing it better and easier and being more productive. Imagine sitting at the pool watching your children or being caught in a long line of traffic…you can actually turn this down time into productive time. Now I’m not saying watching your children is down time but you can double your efforts and everyone is happy, including yourself.

If you have an iPhone, there is a voice memo section icon that you can click on and talk away. BUT, don’t forget to push the little round red button or you’ll be talking to the wind. Push the button – it will turn into a red square and you can dictate away. You don’t have to have an iPhone – any smart phone will work you will just have slightly different instructions.

That’s all well and good you say, but how do you get it from your phone to the computer without typing it all out yourself and how does that save time. Actually, I’m glad you asked. There is a computer program you get in the app store called Otter.AI. Download Otter.AI to your computer and to your phone and you’ll be ready to go. Don’t worry, there is a tutorial that will walk you through it and you can listen to it as many times as you’d like in the privacy of your home. It won’t be long before you are sharing this information with your friends.

Tape a Call Pro

Now, if you are doing an interview with someone – a number of us do this when we are writing life stories or checking our facts – you will want to be able to record that interview and send it to transcribing as well. You can do that beautifully with a program called “Tape a Call Pro”, also available in the app store for $10.99 per month. When you stop to consider what it would cost you to hire someone to transcribe your notes for you, the $10.99 is dirt cheap. Even if you weren’t planning on hiring someone, consider the fact that your time is worth a considerable amount and if you have to sit and type your notes yourself, you are losing valuable time that you could be creating even more story line.

Once your notes are typed you will have to go in and edit them. But think about it, you can sit down to the computer and get right to it. No getting caught up into or distracted by social media or the news of the day. You have business to do and you’ll be determined to do it. 

If ever you’ve wanted to be President, or Prime Minister or and Emperor, now is your chance to be a Dictator so start dictating. You’ll love it.

Remember, We Make Publishing Easy and we are here to help you!