Both of my parents were excellent typists--Dad was a Linotype operator and Mom could type faster than anyone I ever knew. In spite of that, I never took a typing class in high school. I guess I thought I didn't need it. Besides my school schedule was packed full with band, orchestra, drama, all those artsy-fartsy subjects. Since I didn't even have time for a study hall there certainly wasn't any time for a typing class.
For much of my life since college I've been able to get by without being a very good typist. As a band director, I got paid to rehearse music ensembles. As a counselor I got paid to listen and offer advice. As a seminar leader and consultant, I got paid to stand in front of groups and facilitate learning. Most of my jobs required little, if any, need for typing skills. And even when they did, I could get by with a two-finger, hunt and peck method.
But when I started blogging a couple of years ago, my inadequate typing skills came back to haunt me. Even if I had a really good idea for a blog story, the process of sitting down and typing it out taxed me rather than energized me. I had this fantasy that if I could just say what I was thinking and it would magically appear on the paper or screen then I would want to write, or should I say, speak more.
This last weekend my fantasy became a reality.
When I upgraded my iPhone this past weekend to the iPhone 6 and was reading up on the features of the phone, I discovered the dictation feature. It got me to thinking about my writing and if I could dictate in a coherent enough fashion to produce something that was halfway readable.
So what you're reading right now are words that are actually being typed out on my phone as I speak. I'm going to try a little experiment in the next several weeks. I'm going to try to write several blog posts by using the dictation feature on my iPhone instead of typing feature. My hope would be that I could become fluent enough about using this dictation feature that I might "write" more often and what I write will sound very close to what I speak.
So far my little experiment has shown me that there is a need to go back and edit, redo, tweak, tinker with, or otherwise fine-tune the words that are appearing on the screen. But in the short time that I've been experimenting, I've actually gotten a little better at it.
Wow, think about it. I could become prolific. The next John Grisham or Jon Katz. You'll see me driving on the freeway on my way home from work talking to myself as I come up with my next novel or short story or blog post. Or you'll see me talking to myself while having my lunch at Whole Foods as I dictate the next piece of creative work in between bites of my salad bar.
There is the possibility that I'll get tired of hearing my own voice or that having to dictate accurately enough so that this piece of technology can get my words right may detract from my voice, my writers voice, that is. I may end up sounding like that robot on the television show "Lost in Space."
I just turned 62 and so far I've never tired of my own voice. As for my writers voice, I'd like to think that I write as I think or as I speak. Time will tell.
In the meantime, this will be kind of fun. And it will give people something to talk about. "What the heck is going on in the office next-door. Sounds like he's talking to himself again." I might end up getting an early retirement offer after all.
In the meantime, this will be kind of fun. And it will give people something to talk about. "What the heck is going on in the office next-door. Sounds like he's talking to himself again." I might end up getting an early retirement offer after all.
Or a referral to the employee assistance program.
Wish me luck. And stay tuned.
Writer's note: Approx. 90% of the above post was dictated. The other 10% was manually typed or edited.
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