Learning to Enhance Your Writing Without Conventional Writing
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Chapter 1: The Journey of a Writer
For a significant period, I honed a skill that proved quite profitable as I created written content for various clients and projects. However, I've come to realize that there are only so many hours in a day. Regardless of how quickly one can write, there’s a maximum output, and I eventually reached that limit.
As a result, I explored various strategies to accelerate my content creation process. I considered whether improving my typing speed could help, or if hiring additional support to manage their work while I focused on editing would increase my overall output. I also experimented with predictive writing tools, yet none led to a marked improvement in my daily production capacity. This limitation also affected my income potential.
Old Techniques Making a Comeback
During this exploration, I stumbled upon an age-old method that has been utilized for decades by professionals like doctors and lawyers who needed to generate substantial written content: dictation. It's fascinating to note that our brains can operate at a speed that is exponentially faster—potentially 100 to 1000 times—than the average person's writing pace. While a select few professional dictation specialists can keep up, most individuals find that their cognitive processes significantly outpace their writing abilities. The day may soon arrive when our brains can communicate directly with computers, leading to even greater advancements.
Implementing New Ideas
In the interim, dictation has transformed my writing process, allowing me to produce between 500 to 1000 words in just minutes, compared to the 30 to 45 minutes—or even an hour—it used to take. Of course, I still need to edit the output for punctuation and structure, but my writing speed has increased five to tenfold. This advancement enables me to create anywhere from five to ten articles in an hour, rather than the one or two I managed before. Learning to dictate has been a remarkable leap forward for me as a writer.
Technology Simplifying Dictation
Historically, dictation involved using handheld recorders, whether tape or digital, which then required transcription. Thankfully, the advent of smartphones has revolutionized this process. With a device like an iPhone or Android that features dictation capabilities, you can simply speak, and the phone will transcribe your words. While there may be occasional errors—especially if you speak too quickly or use uncommon words—the overall accuracy of the transcription is quite impressive, earning a solid B+.
Proof of Concept
The article you are currently reading is a direct result of using dictation. It took me about five minutes to generate, and another five to ten minutes will be spent on editing. Altogether, this process amounts to roughly 20 minutes of work, leaving me with an additional 40 minutes in the hour to tackle other tasks.
This exemplifies the principle of working smart rather than hard as a writer.
This piece was initially published on Publish0x.com on March 24, 2024. For more insights, click here to visit my blog!
Chapter 2: Enhancing Your Writing Skills
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