Using a dragon to write?

Moon Daughter · Apr 26, 2012

No, that THAT kind of dragon...though that would be pretty cool.

I've been seeing more and more on TV this advertisement for a device called the Dragon that allows you to talk into a mic and it'll write out what you say on the computer. I know this technology isn't new. A high school teacher of mine (many years ago) used something similar. I was just wondering...some of us like to write with a pen and paper, others on a typewriter, and probably most of us with a computer/laptop. But is there anyone who uses a device like the Dragon to "write" out a story, or at least in parts? If not, would you ever consider it?

HoneyBadger · Apr 26, 2012

It's an accessibility program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and it's a pain in the ass.

Since the dawn of tape recorders, authors have dictated their words. It's not new, but Dragon is really, really a pain in the ass.

Nymtoc · Apr 26, 2012

This is strictly a matter of personal preference. I have Dragon and used it when my right hand was temporarily kaput. It's not for me. For one thing, it's bound to make mistakes, which you have to search for later and clean up. Also, in my case, I'm so used to a keyboard that speaking into a mic doesn't do anything I can't do with my fingers.

Suit yourself.

Moon Daughter · Apr 26, 2012

Oh, yeah, I know it's not new and I can imagine it being a huge pain in the ass. Especially if you make up a lot of words in your manuscript.

Reminds me of Google a little bit. Did you mean ...

Terie · Apr 26, 2012

With all the training and correcting you have to do, using a voice recognition program such as Dragon or ViaVoice doesn't save time.

What they ARE good for is if you have a problem that prevents you from being able to type, such as a wrist injury.

I know several writers with repetitive strain injury problems who use VR software, and it's a perfectly suitable replacement when typing isn't an option.

But it doesn't save time, if that's what you're after.

Layla Nahar · Apr 26, 2012

Plus, you can strain your vocal cords using it.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 26, 2012

You can't compare any previous version of Dragon with the current version. The latest version of Dragon works incredibly well right out of the box, with no training, at least for me. And any training is quick and painless. But it takes almost no training. Even when it does, the corrections are extremely easy to find and correct. I can say thins for certain, Dragon makes FAR fewer mistakes than I do. I have no trouble finding and correcting my own typing mistakes, so why should those made by Dragon be any different?

You can also insert made up words, and names.

Whether it saves time depends purely on the writer. Some writers are really lousy typists, and other can find it easier to write when speaking than when typing.

Having said this, I don't use Dragon for writing fiction. Fiction works best for me in longhand. I do, however, use Dragon for several other things, such as essays and e-mail, and it works remarkably well.

Icedevimon · Apr 26, 2012

I think if the technology were accurate, I would totally give it a shot. And hey, some people are really good at improvisation and getting into the heads of their characters, so vocalizing the dialogue might be faster than typing it out. Then there's people with nerve disorders, like Carpel Tunnel, who could benefit greatly from being able to speak things out. I think I would prefer typing most of the time, but there are rare moments where acting out works better for me lol.

Sage · Apr 26, 2012

My thoughts aren't organized enough for me to speak my novels. I am definitely not a speaker if I can help it.

Ketzel · Apr 26, 2012

Having used Dragon since its earliest, painfully buggy, and slo-o-o-o-w versions, I can say that the current version is pretty darn good. I have occasional flare-ups of RSI in my wrist, but I need to use the computer constantly for my job and that's when I rely on Dragon. My employer pays for it and I use it as little as possible, but when the choice is not "keyboard or VR software?" but "VR software or nothing?" it does the job for me.

Wolfdreamer25 · Apr 26, 2012

I love the Dragon program, and I used it to type up a long novel. It worked really well for me. There are some errors, but the more I use it the better it gets. It saves time when typing up drafts from notebooks.

thorjansen · Apr 26, 2012

I type much faster than I can speak (when writing, that is), so I prefer a keyboard.

Paul · Apr 26, 2012

Hey Moon Daughter.

I have a character in my recent opus named Moon Daughter.

weird .

also comment suggestion for you fab avatar

"This better be important"

Cyia · Apr 26, 2012

If the program's been improved, it might be okay, but the version I've tried was pretty bad. The built-in speech-to-text function with Windows worked better.

Moon Daughter · Apr 26, 2012

Paul said:
Hey Moon Daughter.

I have a character in my recent opus named Moon Daughter.

weird .

also comment suggestion for you fab avatar

"This better be important"

Opus? Sorry for my ignorance.

Love your quote. I had a few other ideas (something similar to yours), but ultimately landed with...well, you see.

KRHolbrook · Apr 26, 2012

I don't think that I'd ever use it. I prefer to write out my rough draft with pen and paper first before going to edit it on the computer, and I wouldn't want to emphasize my words as I read just to make sure the software got it right. Not sure if that's a problem at all with Dragon, but some people do tend to speak softly or mumble when they speak, and I'm one of those people, most of the time.

Paul · Apr 26, 2012

Moon Daughter said:
Opus? Sorry for my ignorance.

Sorry i meant Magnum Opus.

tko · Apr 26, 2012

no way

I can think and type. Cut and pasting, moving stuff, around, that all comes naturally. But articulating a chapter, no way. It would be a disaster.

By the way, Dragon is free in the ipad and iphone, and suppose you work better than the stand alone computer version (at least as far as the voice recognition part goes, the using-the-text-for-something-useful part is harder.)

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399543,00.asp

Isilya · Apr 27, 2012

I've used the old glitchy one to write essays when I was in university, it worked well enough and it was easy to train. I definitely recommend it. I now use it with a Bluetooth headset so I can pace while dictating.

veschke · Apr 27, 2012

Moon Daughter said:
If not, would you ever consider it?

If I had to, I suppose I would get used to it. I don't think I would ever use it by choice, though. I've been typing for about 15 years; my brain is used to spilling out words through my fingers. Speaking is an entirely separate neural area. I constantly pause and rearrange what I'm saying while I'm typing as improvements occur to me. I'm not sure how it would work to basically have to compose a coherent sentence beforehand, every time.

shadowwalker · Apr 27, 2012

I just got it after reading a bunch of authors who had tried it. My main reason for wanting it was because so often my stream of thought goes much faster than I can possibly type; also, I can get a recorder to work with the program and thus work on my writing en route to work, on lunch break, etc, without carrying around a laptop or notebook (and then having to transcribe from that). And I edit as I go anyway, so I'd be re-reading and editing anyway; a few glitches due to the program won't bother me.

Orchestra · Apr 27, 2012

I'm surprised there are actually people who can think up and articulate full sentences of prose faster than they can write them. Has someone actually spent time learning to do this or is just something that comes either naturally or not at all?

shadowwalker · Apr 27, 2012

"The average rate of speech is about 125-150 words per minute." (http://www.pbs.org/standarddeviantstv/transcript_public.html).

"The average typing speed is 38-40 words per minute (wpm) for adults in a professional working environment (despite many incorrect reports on the web that it is 50-60 wpm).

Some administrative assistants can type 70-80 wpm or more. Optimal typing speeds for professional secretaries and data entry personnel are 90-120 wpm (110 wpm or more is quite rare)." (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_typing_speed)

So actually, most people could 'speak' their stories faster than they could type them.

Terie · Apr 27, 2012

shadowwalker said:
"The average rate of speech is about 125-150 words per minute." (http://www.pbs.org/standarddeviantstv/transcript_public.html).

"The average typing speed is 38-40 words per minute (wpm) for adults in a professional working environment (despite many incorrect reports on the web that it is 50-60 wpm).

Some administrative assistants can type 70-80 wpm or more. Optimal typing speeds for professional secretaries and data entry personnel are 90-120 wpm (110 wpm or more is quite rare)." (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_typing_speed)

So actually, most people could 'speak' their stories faster than they could type them.

Yes, that's true. But the VR software programs don't work that fast. First of all, you have to speak all the punctuation. If you speak too fast, it won't catch it all. And finally, even well-trained (and the training takes time), they still make mistakes that require correction.

My own experience is that it took pretty much exactly the same amount of time to get my handwritten words into the manuscript by typing as it did to get them into the mansucript using VR. Once my VR was well-trained, it didn't take more time (though it did up to that point), but it didn't take less time, either.

mscelina · Apr 27, 2012

As an editor who has worked frequently with manuscripts "written" by Dragon software, I can whole-heartedly vouch for the fact that Dragon is a colossal pain in the ass. Why? Because manuscripts are turned in with egregious spelling, homonym, and punctuation errors. The best way to write a manuscript is to actually WRITE it.

Using a dragon to write?

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