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Recording yourself to take notes

Devora

Sage
I'm considering using a Recorder to record myself speaking details of the longer narritives i write because i feel to impatient and never feel like typing or picking up a pen to jot them down.

Anyone else use this method, and if so, how effective can it be?
 

Griffin

Minstrel
I tried using a recorder before. One issue was that where I recorded had to be isolated and quiet. It was awkward when people could hear me. Also, my recorder would pick up other sounds and voices.

That and it turns out that I find my voice annoying. So I stick with a journal.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
I use a digital recorder day-to-day for general remembering and find it useful. I go back to a pad and paper for my writing.
It is a truism but you get what you pay for with recorders, something for £30/$50 is not going to be as good as something for £300/$500.
We use Roland recorders at work and they cost about £300 and work brilliantly at interview and voice work and will record for 00s of hours with big memory cards.
You might find that you need an external mic [lapel] if you are on the move. Or a table mic if you are at a desk. Mics on recorders tend to be mulch-directional and you want one that is unidirectional. And if you think recorders are expensive, wait till you see the price of microphones...:eek:
And I'd check the laws about using it while driving...
If you are at your desk then voice to text software might be a better bet at getting stuff down "on paper" so you can sort it out later. A Skype style boom headset should solve most of the external noise problems. you'd still have to talk to yourself but should get less chatter from others. I've used a setup for a blind student and was amazed at how fast and accurate it was but I haven't used it for writing.
This is something I am thinking of trying out again in the new year.
 

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
I use my phone to record thoughts if I'm on my own with no access to a computer (I don't like writing notes on my phone, it takes too long) and have found it useful. Tend to have lots of big gaps though where I'm thinking.
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
I'm stuck in traffic for two and a half hours a day. When I bought my new smart phone, I thought, "I'll get one of those recorder apps that convert words to text and email it to you."

I couldn't find one that works at all. I think it's a good idea, especially with the concept of being able to cut and paste, but the functunality is seriously lacking. If anyone finds a good app, please let me know.
 
I just use the voice recorder feature on my phone (I had a separate one, but my smartphone's is adequate for taking notes).

One pitfall is that you eventually need to transcribe/process them. They tend to build up!
 

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
Yeah, I get that. I also get it with emails I send from work - 16 and counting since I last sorted through them. They're just notes to myself on things, but they need integrating into my notes files so I let them stack up. Mostly I think the act of consciously thinking about the story and the act of saying it or writing it down is more important than having a record of this, because things evolve as I think and write and talk so having a static image of something, a snapshot, isn't necessarily useful because it'll be something different a week later. I really just keep them as reminders when I get stuck.
 

Ankari

Hero Breaker
Moderator
I'm stuck in traffic for two and a half hours a day. When I bought my new smart phone, I thought, "I'll get one of those recorder apps that convert words to text and email it to you."

I couldn't find one that works at all. I think it's a good idea, especially with the concept of being able to cut and paste, but the functunality is seriously lacking. If anyone finds a good app, please let me know.

Most newer Android devices come with a built in Voice-to-Text feature that is, by far, amazing. I talk fast and I eat my words. It picks up 85% of my speech. When I slow down and articulate, its close to 99%. Get a newer Android device on a 4G network. Something like Verizon Wireless, AT&T or, in some areas, metroPCS. All three carriers carry the Samsung Galaxy S3. The phone is a beast.

Open up your email client, click on the body, then click on the mic icon. Speak away. What's cool is that you can resume speaking simply by clicking on the mic again if you needed a little time to think.

Once you're done, address the email to yourself. BAM!
 

Ankari

Hero Breaker
Moderator
Just to clarify, I know all Android devices have this feature, but the Voice-to-text feature is network dependent. That's why if you get a newer Android smartphone, one with 4G service, you'll get better results and faster conversions.
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
Most newer Android devices come with a built in Voice-to-Text feature that is, by far, amazing. I talk fast and I eat my words. It picks up 85% of my speech. When I slow down and articulate, its close to 99%. Get a newer Android device on a 4G network. Something like Verizon Wireless, AT&T or, in some areas, metroPCS. All three carriers carry the Samsung Galaxy S3. The phone is a beast.

Open up your email client, click on the body, then click on the mic icon. Speak away. What's cool is that you can resume speaking simply by clicking on the mic again if you needed a little time to think.

Once you're done, address the email to yourself. BAM!

The only one's I've tried automatically email it every time I pause and they were horrible at picking up my speech over the background noise of driving.
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
Just to clarify, I know all Android devices have this feature, but the Voice-to-text feature is network dependent. That's why if you get a newer Android smartphone, one with 4G service, you'll get better results and faster conversions.

I have a relatively new one with 4G.
 

Jess A

Archmage
I think this ultimately depends on the person and what works best for them. I work best taking notes with a pen and paper or sometimes typing them up if I'm already on a computer. I've conducted a lot of long interviews using my voice recorder and transcribing takes far longer than writing the article. So there's that downside. On the other hand, I record/transcribe bits to get quote and factual accuracy as a backup for notes I've taken. You probably aren't going for word-for-word accuracy for your own notes. But it's technology and I find I trust solid paper more than recordings I might lose. I suffer technology paranoia, though, but I still use it ;) On saying that, my recent overseas holiday ended with a soaked suitcase...and I was lucky my whole notebook didn't get saturated.
 

KimFrei

Dreamer
When I try to record myself I end up getting awkwardly nervous. I stutter a bunch and loose my train of thought. Sticking with a journal works best for me! :)
 
I think this ultimately depends on the person and what works best for them. I work best taking notes with a pen and paper or sometimes typing them up if I'm already on a computer. I've conducted a lot of long interviews using my voice recorder and transcribing takes far longer than writing the article. So there's that downside. On the other hand, I record/transcribe bits to get quote and factual accuracy as a backup for notes I've taken. You probably aren't going for word-for-word accuracy for your own notes. But it's technology and I find I trust solid paper more than recordings I might lose. I suffer technology paranoia, though, but I still use it ;) On saying that, my recent overseas holiday ended with a soaked suitcase...and I was lucky my whole notebook didn't get saturated.

A student told me the other day that transcriptionists have the recording slowed down while they type. I assume most playback apps / computer programs can do this as well.
 

Jess A

Archmage
A student told me the other day that transcriptionists have the recording slowed down while they type. I assume most playback apps / computer programs can do this as well.

I type very fast ;) But I could do with a slow-down program myself.
 

Jess A

Archmage
When I try to record myself I end up getting awkwardly nervous. I stutter a bunch and loose my train of thought. Sticking with a journal works best for me! :)

Yes I am not fond of hearing my own voice played back to me, and I feel a little silly :p You're not alone there.

I tend to find that discussing the plot with a friend is a good idea. Not online but verbally. It isn't quite recording notes but you could record the conversation. I don't record it, but I find my friends and colleagues will find plot holes and they will mercilessly nit-pick! Sometimes they don't even need to respond and you will come to the conclusions and ideas yourself just by verbalising it to someone. Then you need to rush to the recording journal or device!
 
It comes down to comfort. A lot of people can't stand what a recording does to their voices (after all, we have a lifetime of getting used to the bone-conduction version in our skulls, so the actual recorded sound is just wrong) or the transcription process, or the aftermath of copying down the pieces later. Others love how easy it is to just talk our our ideas.

But there are other methods. A breakthrough for me was learning a little about to shorthand, and putting notes on my files and pads of paper. It changes a lot to be able to write H hg up on and know it means "then Henry says something about people hanging up on him."

Another thing recordings lose is being able to look back at your notes of a minute ago, or modify them. Of course if you want a spontaneous flow of thought, making it harder to second-guess your last idea can be a good thing. Still, I like being able to list characters on one line or on the side of the pad, work out the main flow, and stop to move a thing to or just draw a line to where I decide it should fit into the rest.

The tools shape that moment's process, a little. There are things I hate to do onscreen that are easy to get comfortable with with a pad, and I can see how fun recording would be at the right stage.
 
I also think there needs to be a way to flag these things for categories. You can take all the voice notes you want, but if you can't find the ONE you're looking for without going through 50 20 minute long notes, you'll have a problem. Mine has files I can dump into, but I rarely use it. I'm already crazy, why let the world know it when I speak into my fist?
 

BWFoster78

Myth Weaver
All these are reasons that I though the Voice to Text app would be fantastic. I could compose my scene orally; the phone would email me the text of the conversation; and I would clean it up a bit and insert it in my rough draft. Too bad I couldn't get it to work :(
 
I type very fast ;) But I could do with a slow-down program myself.
Yeah, I usually type around 100 wpm when I know what I want to say or when I am copying, but I talk much faster--much to my students' chagrin ;)

All these are reasons that I though the Voice to Text app would be fantastic. I could compose my scene orally; the phone would email me the text of the conversation; and I would clean it up a bit and insert it in my rough draft. Too bad I couldn't get it to work :(

That would be awesome! I'm sure something acceptable is coming soon! Still, this would just be for first drafts and so forth. I don't know a writer that is ever 100% content with the way something is the first time they wrote it (not counting small exceptions like a sentence here and there, a correct word choice or even a paragraph).
 
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