Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

For a while now, I’ve been interested in voice recognition software.

I recently became more interested, when I started having carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms appear.

My husband, a computer engineer, is also dealing with carpal tunnel issues. He recommended that I avoid using my left hand to decrease the symptoms and keep from aggravating the condition. But there was no way I could really effectively do that because I have two books to write by June and I can’t type without using my left hand.

We both figured that voice recognition software might help give my hand a break, even if I used it only part of the day.

Diane Wolfe reviewed Dragon Naturally Speaking software on her Spunk on a Stick’s Tips blog on Monday. After her positive review, I decided to check it out.

The CNET review had also been good, and user reviews on the software itself seemed good, although some people had a hard time installing the software (and apparently the tech support isn’t so hot for this program.)

I didn’t have any major problems with installation and had loaded it in about 10 minutes. I’m running Windows 7 (I some of the other users’ problems had been with Vista…no surprises there). I had a couple of hiccups during installation—once when the app thought there wasn’t enough memory (there was) to run the program, and once when it said I had a problem with my sound card (this error message disappeared when I tried again.)

I was relieved to find that the program made allowances for accented speech. Among the accents they listed in the set up was southern US. I do speak with a southern accent which is always a problem when I speak with automated customer service bots. So far, there hasn’t been a huge problem with Dragon understanding what I’m saying.

To get the most out of the program, you need to train the software to understand you. One of the things I found interesting is that it analyzes your e-mails and documents to get clues to your writing patterns, the names that you use in documents, etc.

Since I’m writing fiction, I was a little concerned about having to verbalize punctuation marks when writing. For dialogue, you have to say open quote then the sentence, then close quote. I thought this might be distracting. It was distracting at first, but after a few minutes of dictating, I got used to it. It didn’t seem to pull me into editing mode.

Another nice thing about this software, is that it’s not particularly expensive. In fact, Office Max had it on sale for $50. The software comes with a headset.

I spent about 45 min. training the Dragon software to learn my speech patterns and vocabulary and will continue to train it as I go. After the first training session, I spent about 30 min. writing and found I was able to produce about four pages. Yes, there were mistakes on those pages (break instead of brake, etc.), but all-in-all, I was pleased with what was there. It was fast and any errors could be fixed in edits.

If you’re someone who likes experimenting with different ways to write, or you frequently write in longhand and need to quickly transcribe those materials…or if you’re developing carpal tunnel, Dragon Naturally Speaking can provide a decent break for writers while still allowing them to get their writing done.

Have you used voice recognition software? How has it worked for you?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes I think I just like to be contrary.

I’m not at all fond of resolutions.

When other people are making resolutions, I tend to spring clean. And it’s January…not spring. But when it’s spring here, it’s so gorgeous that the very last thing I want to do is clean. So I start out the year cleaning, instead.

I like making goals, but I don’t really need too many resolutions. I’ll write two books by June. I have to write two books by June. No resolution needed.

When I clean up, the aftermath tends to be very refreshing and I feel pleased with myself. When I make resolutions, I tend to feel overwhelmed. Cleaning up is way better.

Since my closet organization methods are probably less than gripping to read about, here are some of my cleaning projects that are slightly more interesting:

Website update: I rarely visit author websites. Because of that, I haven’t placed my own website in very high regard. But when I noticed that Penguin had stopped using my website on promotional materials they sent out about my book launches (!), I realized I needed to do something. Clearly, since they thought my website was too awful to mention on promo!

I transferred my hosting to a free WordPress account and, not having any design skills nor the time to develop any, I quickly set up the website to resemble a blog…which I’m more familiar with. My big thing is that I want to be able to update my website myself…that way I (allegedly) would keep it more up-to-date. :) So I set up these pages: Home, About, Books, Contact, News. I made this website as basic as I possibly could. It’s just a tool, not a work of art.

I was absolutely shocked to find that over 1,000 people had visited my website in a month. Shocked! So…clearly people do check out websites. Think about updating yours. :) The most important thing about a website is that people can learn how to reach you and how to buy your books.

Blog cleaning: After the remarkable success of my website update, I took on the blog. I only, again, wanted to do a little updating. I found that my About Me page was truly awful. So I just copy-pasted the copy I’d just written for the website over to the blog. Much better. I’d also written a couple of books since the last time I’d updated my Books page, so I updated that, too. And cleaned up some of my blogroll, which had blogs that had long since closed on it. I also cleaned up my sidebar a little (although it’s still cluttered…but hey, I’m a writer. :) Clutter goes with the territory.)

Gmail inbox: Although gmail holds a ton of emails, it really bothered me to see over 6,000 emails in my inbox. Yes. 6,000. Cleaning up was long overdue! I unsubscribed from lists that I rarely read, unsubscribed from several newsletters, and deleted a slew of emails. Some I archived into specific folders. Now it’s much more organized and I feel a lot more on top of it all.

I do plan on assessing what I want to do with the rest of my year…in June. :) That’s when I’ll probably have a little more time to look at where I am. Do you like resolutions? Or do you find other ways to challenge yourself, instead?

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012 (with lots of writing in it!)

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links (now over 12,000) searchable. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews:http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

Precede vs. Proceed: http://bit.ly/vTVDoB @writing_tips

3 Ways to Use YouTube to Drive Traffic to Your Website: http://bit.ly/unAD7X @smexaminer

Writing tip–write a bad book: http://bit.ly/tCdLms

How-to: Gift a Kindle Book: http://bit.ly/rDha8p

How to Host Guest Blogs while Building your Credibility: http://bit.ly/t0rdbL @freshome

How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from a Stone: http://bit.ly/sDcORJ @JulieBMack

The Persistence of the Author Brand: http://bit.ly/vcqW4R @psexton1 for @writersdigest

The 99 cent debate: http://bit.ly/rIfNeG @selfpubreview

Fear of editors: http://bit.ly/tCnhC6

Fixing backstory infodumps: http://bit.ly/uvdjLu @sarahahoyt

Tips for perfecting your writer’s voice: http://bit.ly/scghYa @rebeccaberto

4 Key Criteria to Build Your Dream Blog: http://bit.ly/tAjpmE @problogger

Procrastination: Myth, reality or your best friend in disguise? http://bit.ly/tpw7Zp @annerallen @RuthHarrisBooks

The Great Seductive and Often Fatal Temptation of the New Writer: http://bit.ly/v2fbwx @storyfix

Tips for showing emotion instead of telling it: http://bit.ly/vGtJ89 @Janice_Hardy

Setting goals for our writing–failure is an option, quitting isn’t: http://bit.ly/sskkoh @DeanWesleySmith

4 tips for novelists: http://bit.ly/uoDojd @enwritened

Should Writers Create Their Own E-Book Covers? http://bit.ly/v8hVgh @nickdaws

Why writers can’t edit themselves: http://bit.ly/uZycmr @JeffGoins

How to flunk social media: http://bit.ly/t1ST1b @justinemusk

25 Synonyms for “Story”: http://bit.ly/tQO1DY @writing_tips

The Pros & Cons of KDP Select: http://bit.ly/tqS7u2 @PYOEbooks

How 1 novelist uses music for inspiration: http://bit.ly/shkdva @jenniecoughlin for @ByRozMorris

Preparing For Book Blog Tour As You Write Your Book: http://bit.ly/uY7wGJ @BryanThomasS

The nuts and bolts of indie publishing: http://bit.ly/uLa874 @cjlyonswriter

Put Adverbs in Their Place: http://bit.ly/trsIsm @writing_tips

Art of the Genre: What came first, the writer or the artist? http://bit.ly/uVKLWv @BlackGateDotCom

A writer and tax specialist on epub and taxes (US): http://bit.ly/vp5BBW @alisonpensy

Character Rants and Breakdowns—Let ’em Rip: http://bit.ly/toVMQd @NovelEditor

How to Write a Children’s Book Based on Your Personal Struggles: http://bit.ly/vlnC1Y @KarenCV

Deadlines, and PR for Newbies: http://bit.ly/tRkInM @HunterFaith

Industry expert @JaneFriedman ‘s best writing tips for 2011: http://bit.ly/vCB6lT

Using history to inspire: lessons from festivals: http://bit.ly/vTBtyM @GeneLempp

Avoiding burnout when working toward writing goals: http://bit.ly/rtF6eE @PBRWriter

Start your book in the middle: http://bit.ly/sd8qA3 @sarahahoyt

Tips for non-fic writers who write in a crowded category: http://bit.ly/tCMZ3k @behlerpublish

[ Dear Loved One ]: I Am a Writer: http://bit.ly/vOZQOO @KSElliott_Shark for @krissybrady

Writing illness and medicine into our stories: http://bit.ly/s63q8d @JulietteWade

5 Resources for Crime Fiction Writers: http://bit.ly/rXkDiz @CAMorganti

How to Write Convincing Strong and Silent Types: http://bit.ly/vdghbp @KMWeiland

Setting the Scene for a Productive Day: http://bit.ly/tJGdUB @RealLifeE

The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King: the99percent.com/tips/7025/The-Resume-Is-Dead-The-Bio-Is-King @getstoried

Fixing Character Errors: http://bit.ly/t7rakV @HeatherMcCorkle

Tips for email promo of books: http://bit.ly/vdgMXM @selfpubreview

Tips for Scene Beginnings and Endings: http://bit.ly/t7iwI9 @jamesagard

Write Fiction? Why You Should Try a Short Story: http://bit.ly/rFEpGk @JamiGold

The Secret Life of Late Bloomer Sue Monk Kidd: http://bit.ly/vZvT0O @DebraEve

Growing Your Book – A Christmas Metaphor: http://bit.ly/tOw68x @authorguy

Did that Bad Review Come with a Side of Ulterior Motives? http://bit.ly/tbc3XK @selfpubreview

Get Back on the Writing Wagon: Here’s How: http://bit.ly/uGk0c0 @SusannahFriis for @KrissyBrady

Using guilt as an element in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/v5j8SV @mkinberg

Series vs. Stand Alone: http://bit.ly/sZrkDZ @authorterryo

What Makes Word-of-Mouth Work? http://bit.ly/uX7LKd @robeagar for @writersdigest

15 Tricks & Tips to Get the Most of Kindle Store: http://bit.ly/uso2ya @ebookfriendly

The Word of the Year 2011: http://bit.ly/vVLRRg @writing_tips

Give Yourself A Break And Write What You Want: http://bit.ly/vCsV2m @MsTamarCohen for @/AmySueNathan

Guns in mysteries: How not to get it wrong. http://bit.ly/rVRS3E @wdchip11 for @junglereds

The Make Or Break Moment in Your Story: http://bit.ly/rFI2Yq @storyfix

Will There Ever Be A Universal, MP3-Like Standard For E-Books? http://bit.ly/vocsIW @copyrightandtec for @paidContent

The Point in Your Novel You Realize You Should Be a Baseball Star: http://bit.ly/sh71zl @C_Herringshaw

Targeted PR, Cross-Promotion, and Knowing Your Audience: http://bit.ly/uSiaSq @kalayna

Ways to handle backstory without dumping it: http://bit.ly/tZnxta @sarahahoyt

How to Choose the Best Method for Publishing Your Book: http://bit.ly/v3cj4k @JFBookman

The anatomy of a good hook: http://bit.ly/vcv5ZB @nataliecparker for @4kidlit

Authors: Don’t Get Burned By Branding: http://bit.ly/vAXfC0 @ChuckWendig

13 picture book tips: http://bit.ly/vOg0Ve @Artzicarol

Dead Story Walking: http://bit.ly/vyeL5k @mooderino

Planning a book–reducing a book to a sheet of paper: http://bit.ly/sjO6FJ

Writing novellas: http://bit.ly/tI8vqR @davidwoodauthor for @thecreativepenn

The Ugly Side of SEO: http://bit.ly/tlHy4m @Blogussion

How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines: http://bit.ly/v5byyM @writing_tips

The Elementary Life of a Sidekick: http://bit.ly/tOl8tv @AlexBledsoe for @tordotcom

Ebook pricing, golden age for writing, Amazon vs. the world: essential news from @Porter_Anderson for @JaneFriedman: http://bit.ly/v36x0V

Writing on the Ether’s @Porter_Anderson features @Melissa_Foster @jenniecoughlin @naypinya @danielsm1 @scalzi @LeenaRao http://bit.ly/v36x0V

The 99-Cent Debate: How Do We Value Our Writing? http://bit.ly/ueN44E @Melissa_Foster

“Dear Readers: Publishers Think of You as Customers, I SWEAR”: http://bit.ly/sDlOLe @Scalzi

2011 digital publishing timeline: http://bit.ly/slYinF @samatlounge for @thefuturebook

The ugly truth about consumer book reviews: part 1: http://bit.ly/u5HAVS and 2: http://bit.ly/tpeFeU @tglong for @IndieReader

The Dreaded Writer’s Break: http://bit.ly/vMidUB

How to Entertain Readers with Your Words: http://bit.ly/shafG8 @Gaylordcat for @writeitsideways

10 Daring Predictions for 2012 from the Indie Author Trenches: http://bit.ly/tEQ6Q3 @bob_mayer

Tropes covering the origins of evil: http://bit.ly/vbccbv @tabeechey

How to Find the Meaning of Life through : http://bit.ly/ukhH8T @VictoriaMixon

Eliminating flabby book middles: http://bit.ly/tbEqYD @sarahahoyt

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War: http://bit.ly/uWtJNX @nytimes @PassiveVoiceBlg

5 Common Writing Hazards: http://bit.ly/sUmrgP @kristenlambTX

A story of rejection from @jakonrath: http://bit.ly/rLjvdT

Strong language in our writing: http://bit.ly/ruy98T @ashkrafton

Compound Words: 2 words, 3 choices: http://bit.ly/vyJu6B @HowToWriteShop

It’s All About Accuracy: http://bit.ly/uhhFRM @writing_tips

When it comes to writing, “Done” is better than “Good”: http://bit.ly/u4LWAS @Jhansenwrites

8 questions for writers: http://bit.ly/v0tMNZ

Top5 signs you’re reading too much young adult literature: http://bit.ly/ssdDUg @mittenstrings

12 Google+ Marketing Tips From the Pros: http://bit.ly/uZQYuP @CindyKing

Memes for Writers: http://bit.ly/sYfKZ0 @Amanda_Hannah

Moving From Traditional Publishing To Indie: http://bit.ly/sAVOe4 @ornaross @thecreativepenn

Who Will Be the Next Generation of E-Readers? http://bit.ly/vdrYOP @TalliRoland

Start your New Year off on the right foot, and finish your literary puzzle with a promo plan: http://bit.ly/uNZJgH @behlerpublish

How using denial can improve our stories: http://bit.ly/vnkvJn @NovelEditor

Tension: A Valuable Tool: http://bit.ly/tdY1k4 @Ava_Jae

Essential components of your 1st 100 pages: http://bit.ly/uGhwcd @storyfix

The “Why” of Character Worksheets: http://bit.ly/rBLdvY @TheresaStevens

5 Audacious Goals Every Blogger Should Have for 2012: http://bit.ly/usiPew @AlexisGrant

How to mindmap your story: http://bit.ly/v4bWgk @DeeWhiteAuthor

How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips: http://bit.ly/tS1XdE @JamiGold

What makes a debut novel different: http://bit.ly/vFUWmM @nicolamorgan for @cathryanhoward

Your Blogging Goals: What Are They? http://bit.ly/tzg0L5 @Blogussion

After the Glitter, Get Inspired: http://bit.ly/rD2OvP @plaingirlwriter

15 Top New Year’s Reads For Writers: http://bit.ly/uiFJPN @BryanThomasS

Evoke vs. Invoke: http://bit.ly/tzVEiu @writing_tips

Setting a Yearly Writing Craft Goal: http://bit.ly/rEqWt8 @jamieraintree

Does your story’s plot go in circles? A few fixes for loop-de-loop syndrome: http://bit.ly/viPc1o @sarahahoyt

Making Writing Resolutions that Stick: http://bit.ly/utcYdJ @diymfa

Don’t fib to publishers about your platform: http://bit.ly/tl40NP @behlerpublish

The Writer’s Journey: http://bit.ly/vKeAjl

Mr. Darcy’s Guide to Wooing Women: http://bit.ly/utINhU @readingape

‘Unstuck,’ An App For Setting Writing Goals: http://bit.ly/rAm2jw @ebooknewser

5 Alternatives to Hyphenating Phrasal Adjectives: http://bit.ly/rp7cPq @writing_tips

How memoir writer turned to music to help her recreate her feelings for her book: http://bit.ly/uk1EBp @cathryanhoward for @byRozMorris

Shifting Goals in This New World of Publishing: http://bit.ly/uHo2F7 @deanwesleysmith

The 10 Commandments of a Successful Author: http://bit.ly/u5fMxs @roniloren

Are You Choosing the Right Words for Your Story’s Tone? http://bit.ly/uKn03B @KMWeiland

Good and bad foreshadowing: http://bit.ly/uxZCU1 @SarahHoyt

7 ways 1 author got on the Amazon bestsellers lists: http://bit.ly/vhs9gv @beth_barany

Mapmaking for fantasy authors: http://bit.ly/urwlt8 @tabeechey

Moms, Writing, and Guilt: Do You Get In Your Own Way? http://bit.ly/swKGkI @AmySueNathan

Tips for using similes and metaphors: http://bit.ly/uVYV9u @Artzicarol

Why Traditional Marketing Doesn’t Sell Books: http://bit.ly/rZXY2h @KristenLambTX

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy: http://bit.ly/tNX7L5 @Ava_Jae

How to Incorporate Backstory That Hooks The Reader: http://bit.ly/vCvZut @lkblackburne

Old contracts are being dusted off and language scrutinized: http://bit.ly/s6fXCm @PassiveVoiceBlg

Evoking a sense of wonder in readers: http://bit.ly/uMGGj4 @mlmjr1 for @HP4Writers

Using mirrored scenes in books and series: http://bit.ly/sEuw9A @HP4Writers

Wordsmithing: Go For It: http://bit.ly/t7jzjX @WomenWriters

How to Use Holidays in Our Writing: http://bit.ly/uqwFiV @JamiGold

When do you trunk a story? http://bit.ly/tRFaMf @JulietteWade

1 writer/illustrator’s plan for regaining control of the clock: http://bit.ly/u0p4rR @inkyelbows

4 ways your protagonist can learn the truth: http://bit.ly/uQGvp6 @jammer0501

Book Marketing Tips From Amazon’s Bestselling Self-Published Ebooks Of 2011: http://bit.ly/uh2Mgw @thecreativepenn

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve talked to writers before who just don’t get why I write small town settings.

“But it really limits what you can do!” and “Does anything really ever happen in small towns?” are the two comments I usually get when the topic comes up.

I’ve found, though, that it’s not limiting because a lot does happen in small towns. I grew up in one and still remember some of the shocking, soap-opera-like stories I’d overhear the grownups whispering over. You’ve never known drama until you’ve lived in a small town.

Small towns are full of secrets: When everyone knows everyone else, you feel the need to hide things that you don’t want the whole town knowing about. Realizing there’s a character with a secret and having a protagonist work to unearth it leads to natural suspense.

Small towns can set the stage for conflict: Feelings run deep in a small community because perceived slights seem personal.

Isolation: Small towns can seem, or actually be, remote. If you’re writing a book where the characters need to either feel or really be cut off from the rest of the world, a small town setting can really add that element to your story. Want Wi-Fi? Good luck.

Replicating a small town feel in a larger town setting:

I also write stories set in larger locations—no one would call Memphis a small town. But I try to replicate that small-town feel in other ways:

Limited setting: The story’s action centers around a central location with limited other scene settings. Just get rid of your wide angle lens and the panoramic city shots in your story and pull the shot in.

Presence of family and connectivity: Gathering around food, conversations in rocking chairs on porches, etc.

Recurring series characters who are warm and engaging for readers.

Do you enjoy reading or writing stories based in small town settings? What particular elements of this setting have you found interesting to work with or read?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve always been somewhat allergic to the word outline. I don’t outline books unless editors ask me to.

But that doesn’t mean that I wander through a book with no direction at all. There are a couple of different things I do before and during a first draft to make the process a lot quicker: I come up with a big picture plan for the book (and write back cover copy for it), and make mini outlines for the following day so that I have an idea what I’m wanting to accomplish the next morning.

But to me, this isn’t outlining.

My teenage son and I were waiting in line at a salon for him to get his hair cut. He’s got this really shaggy hair and he really doesn’t like getting it cut because he wants it a very particular way. And he only wants Phil to cut his hair. We’ll wait for an hour to see Phil since it’s the type of place that doesn’t take appointments. Yes, I bring my manuscript with me. :)

When Phil found out I was a writer, he started playfully pretending to ask me to write a book based around his salon. The main character would be Philippe and it would involve various dramas that play out at the salon.

My son thought that zombies and a dystopian feel to the novel would be a good idea. They’ve been enthusiastically adding storylines and characters to this pretend project for the last few months. My son is reading Romeo and Juliet for school, so he’s also pulled in some characters from that play—Benvolio and Tybalt, for instance. He also thought it would be cool to include the wicked Montresor from The Cask of Amontillado.

Last Friday, while we were waiting at the salon, he said, “Mom! Can you write this story?” He was half-serious.

“Under an assumed name,” I told him. “I don’t think my readers are looking for me to write a cross between Dawn of the Dead and Romeo and Juliet with Poe thrown in for good measure!”

“How would we do it?” he asked me. “If we wanted to?”

“It’s easy,” I said. I took out my always-handy notebook and wrote cast of characters, setting, internal conflict, external conflict, climax, resolution.

He quickly named the characters and a two or three word explanation of who they were. The protagonist and antagonist got a little more explanation. He came up with a love triangle, an internal conflict when the protagonist had a choice on whether to save his mom or his girlfriend from zombies, and some other details. Phil called out some ideas, too.

“How do you want it to end?” I asked him. He devised a standoff at a mall, and I told him that had been done before. :) He created another ending that was original and pretty thrilling. “Hey,” I said, “you have to leave room for a sequel, too.” So he modified the ending again.

“How do you want it to start?” I asked. He listed a peaceful day at the salon. “Might work,” I said, “but for your readers, they might want to start off with zombies trying to break into the salon and the stylists building a barricade.”

It took about ten minutes to come up with this plan, but of course, they’d been talking about this pretend book for months. “Mom,” my son said, “I think I almost could write this book.”

“Of course you could!”

“But I thought you said you didn’t outline.”

“This isn’t an outline.” I’m sure I must have recoiled at the word. “This is brainstorming. And making a list. And a chart. This stuff can all be changed, too—you’re not locked into it.”

And somehow, when undertaking something as massive as writing a book, it’s kind of cool to see it reduced to a sheet of paper.

What sort of planning do you do before starting a new project?