Dragon Anywhere: Makes Writing a Less Daunting Task

Since I find typing tedious, and soon lose interest, I decided to try Dragon Anywhere to dictate my writing.  I still have to go back and edit – but I can already see that dictation software could be a blessing for anyone with ADHD.dragon anywhere

The following is a sample scene from the book I’m working on.  I haven’t edited much . . . .WAY too much passive tense – but, not surprisingly, I digress.


Stella hated her parents house. It was all white. The walls. The couch. The carpeting. The people.

Stella’s mother had seen this in some architectural digest. Supposedly, the latest thing with the rich and famous. Not that Stella’s parents were rich or famous. Rich maybe. Stella didn’t get to see much of that. Each night, her parents went out to one party or another. Maybe the opera. Maybe a dinner. Maybe a fundraiser -not that they ever donated money.

Stella spent much of her time trying to figure out how to get out of that White House. The idea to slip out first came to her while watching a movie late one night. The woman in the movie lived a double life. During the day –  a normal housewife with three beautiful children and husband who adored her. At night, she was a prostitute on the streets of Paris.

Stella wanted to be that actress. She wanted to be that woman.

As long as she could remember, Stella had wanted to be an actress. She spent hours in a room pretending to be one person to another. Sometimes a princess who had everything-sometimes the popper with nothing he lived on her wits.

The third night the Astrophel family lived in Colorado, Stella decided to slip out. Just like that actress. Just like that woman.

Enjoying the irony, Stella dressed in all black. A leather miniskirt, a low-cut crop top, and, of course, a black leather jacket. She hid the thigh-high black leather boots from her parents. By day, they sat hidden in the back of her closet, behind the designer flats, pumps, and the Jimmy Choo sandals. At night, she slipped on the boots, zipping them up to the top of her thighs, pretending to be the Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”. No. That wasn’t right. She was a much better actress than Julia Roberts. At 15, she could be any age she wanted to be. Any age she needed to be.

When she applied the dark lipstick, the layers of mascara, the oversized hoop earrings – she became someone other than Stella. Someone other than the good girl. That girl who always got A’s in school. The one inspected each morning by her father to make sure she was impeccably dressed before leaving for school each day. Gone were the designer dresses, the Manolo Blahnik mules, the emerald ring her mother brought her from Paris. At night, Stella was trash. And that’s the way she wanted it.


Kind of lame – needs work – but it only took me 10 minutes instead of 2 hours to write.


Dragon Anywhere is a product of Nuance Communications, Inc.  It can be downloaded as an app for IOS or Android operating systems.  There is a one week free trial – after that it is $15/month or $150 annually.  For me, the price is worth it, but it IS a consideration.I loaded it on my iPhone and iPad (no – I’m not shilling for Apple!).  I’ve tried it on the tablet – but have yet to experiment with the phone version.

If you out Dragon Anywhere – I’d love to know what you think.  you can comment here – or email me at heather@writingasigo.com.

 

Disclaimer:I am not affiliated with Nuance Communications in any way

I Finally Decided What I Am Passionate About

Status

Um. Everything. I know all the how-to books on websites and blogging insist writers find a specialized subject in order to attract visitors. The problem is I am interested in learning something about nearly everything. I wanted a website that allows me to share whatever I’m focused on – at the moment. If I’m lucky, I’ll hit on a few things that interest you, too. Welcome to the inside of my head!

Ernest Hemingway, Writing & Style

My favorite book by Ernest Hemingway is The Sun Also Rises.

I read TSAR for the first time when I was about 10. Although many of the themes in the novel were over my head then, I was mesmerized by the writing style – the concise prose, the near absence of sentiment, and the maddening gaps in the story – all fueled my fascination. (Although, I despised Lady Brett Ashley then and I haven’t warmed to her in the past 35 years!) The Sun Also Rises is a book I can read over and over; it continually humbles me as a writer.

No amount of analysis can convey the quality of The Sun Also Rises. It is a truly gripping story, told in a lean, hard, athletic narrative prose that puts more literary English to shame. Mr. Hemingway knows how not only to make words be specific but how to arrange a collection of words which shall betray a great deal more than is to be found in the individual parts. It is magnificent writing.
—The New York Times review of The Sun Also Rises, 31 October 1926

It took Hemingway only 2 months to write the draft of TSAR. I long to develop that kind of focus. Hemingway liked to write standing up on his Royal Quiet de Luxe typewriter in his Havana home. That is one writing technique I have not tried, but, as I am brutally frustrated with my lack of progress, I just might have to get out of my chair and stand in front of my desk.

[I believe the Havana Hemingway typewriter sold at auction in 2008 or 2009 for around $2750, so I will have to make do with my MacBook Air in my Colorado Springs apartment for now.]

Review: Around the Writer’s Block: Using Brain Science to Solve Writer’s Resistance by Rosanne Bane

Around the Writer's Block When I first read Around the Writer’s Block: Using Brain Science to Solve Writer’s Resistance
by Rosanne Bane I remember thinking setting 15 minutes on an egg timer and forcing myself to write until the buzzer went off – and doing this consistently, every day – sounded like one of the silliest pieces of advice I had ever encountered. You can imagine how sheepish I felt when, after performing this simple ritual and finding such a wonderful sense of satisfaction as I watched the words I managed to get on paper grew each day and each week. Bane’s book is packed with (seemingly) trivial tasks – but the exercises are designed to build upon each other. In time, you find yourself wondering how you could have missed the value the assigned tasks. Bane’s Around the Writer’s Block will help both new and experienced writers to focus and work productively.

Pick up a copy! I promise – it’s well worth having in your personal library. I refer to mine again and again, whenever the urge to procrastinate hits!

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Tarcher (August 2, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158542871X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585428717
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces

Review: Howdunit Forensics: A Guide for Writers by D.P. Lyle

When you are writing a murder mystery, eventually somebody is going to have to die, but unless you have a real-life back ground in forensics and an infallible memory, you are going to need some help making your murder feel authentic and believable. Enter the “Howdunit” series from Writer’s Digest Books. This set of (at last count 13) books is designed to help a writer plan, execute, and – sometimes – prosecute the crimes his characters commit. Continue reading