Bright Freedom and Voice Recognition

I decided that my next project would be to complete the rewrite of my Bright Freedom script into a novella. I’ve written quite a few notes, but I haven’t done any actual writing.

Most of my notes I wrote in my notebook, and I wanted to transcribe them into computer files. I decided to try out the Windows voice recognition feature. Some years ago, I used Dragon Naturally Speaking some years ago. At the time, I had some trouble with painful wrists and typing was difficult. I found it worked well enough, without too many typos. I also felt it made my writing flow better.

When I got a new computer, back in 2007, I couldn’t install Dragon on it. I knew Windows had voice recognition, but I didn’t have a good microphone, so I didn’t try it out. We have a good microphone now, so I went ahead and tested it. I’ve got most of my notes transcribed now.

The system works OK, but the program does need some more training. Or may be I’m the one who needs to learn to speak more clearly.

Bright Freedom is a challenge for me to write. First off, the main character is a woman, and I’ve never been a woman, so I have no experience to draw on. Second, the subject of the story is a topic that makes me uncomfortable. Partly it is because I know little about it and need to do more research. The subject is controversial and I need to be careful not to make the story too trivial. Controversial is bad enough without also being offensive.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog