AtoZ Blog Challenge: C is for COURSE

Fiction writing is my passion, but to some extend so is teaching. For a long time I didn't realise that it was exactly what I had been doing when I worked as a consultant - I taught people the requirements for exporting their products.

In case you were wondering, I would make a terrible school teacher, but sharing knowledge, that is a different story altogether.

Last year I wrote non-fiction for NaNoWriMo in November, and found it more difficult than fiction writing for that particular challenge. My project is the development of a Course for Indie Writers, that includes everything except writing. There are many local and international courses on creative writing and another is definitely not needed.

The course is aimed at the South African indie author, because the stigma of "traditional is better than indie", is very much alive and kicking in this country. Sad but true.

With the exception of one or two small details, the course can pretty much be used anywhere. The manual for the course will be published to be more accessible to a wider audience, but it is still aimed as part of a three day face-to-face interaction.

I have learned loads of things on my journey as an indie author, and hope to keep learning more.

If you have any pearls of wisdom, or useful links, to share, please do not hesitate to add them to the comments.

AtoZ Blog Challenge: B is for BLOGGING

Of all the possible B's that I could have chosen, biography, bomb or broken heart, blogging was the first that came to mind.
Twitter recently celebrated its eighth year in existence by asking people to re-tweet their

very first tweet. It was fun to see that at least my first was worth another RT ;)
So I had a look at my first blog post (you can see it here) and tried to recall where the name Butterfly on a Broomstick came from, and to be honest, I don't think there was ever a reason for the name. It just popped into my head and it stayed. In fact, I like it more now than I did when I came up with it!
I like the idea of promoting other people's books. Not that I have the time to read them all, which is a real shame since I love reading. My own reading list today is more than a hundred books long, paperbacks and e-books. Sounds terrifying even to me, then again I can't wait to read the next one.
I don't often post reviews, but when I do it is because I really liked a book. I love romance and it takes a really special story to get me out of my normal routine to write a review. There is one coming soon - a romance that was the complete opposite of what you would expect - and I love those.
I do share some personal experiences from time to time, but keep the private stuff, private. Is my life that interesting that people would want to know every single detail? I doubt it, so I keep to the things that could be considered interesting, such as parts of my country that I travel to that are not part of the regular tourist beat.
I am still working on convincing my husband to drive, instead of fly, to our annual holiday destination this year. Why? Because I have never been to the country and would like to see some parts of it besides the nature reserve where we will be going on a photographic safari. Which reminds me, I really need to get my passport renewed.

Which blog(s) have you found to be the most inspirational or useful to you? Please share the link in the comments, it might just be the site that someone has been searching for ☻

AtoZ Blog Challenge: A is for ANTHOLOGY

I can almost hear you roll your eyes, when you saw the word anthology, since I have been going on and on about this project of our writers' group launching in June this year.

And when I came up with the idea for the letter 'A', that was exactly what I had in mind. However, when I sat down to write this post, something else came to mind. In fact, for the purpose of this post, A stands for Friends.

I am not the kind of person that makes friends easily, nor do I go around accumulating thousands of friends on Facebook. Maybe I am not as likeable as I think I am - no, I wasn't fishing. What I am trying to say is that a writers' group can be more than just people with a common interest. We do not have to live in each others' pockets, but we can do things. We can create things. And we can create together.

Enter the anthology.

As enthusiastic as I was when I came up with the idea, there had been hurdles to overcome. Big ones and small ones, and writing ones too. But we did. We pulled together, and the passion we have for writing, and the project is increasing.

Yes, the stories are done. Yes, we are in the process of final formatting for e-book and print publication, but it is not the end. There is marketing to be done, and books to be promoted and launches to be arranged. And we are working towards doing that. Together.

Friends.

In May I will introduce you to each of my awesome friends. Guess what? We wrote a book together. It is called STORM and it will be available soon.

Do you like to read? Do you support indie authors? Why not help us tell the world about STORM. Check out the details and join in the fun...here. 

A to Z Blog Challenge Coming to the Broomstick

 
I am taking part in the A to Z Blog Challenge in April this year.

There will be a post everyday, except Sundays, where the corresponding letter of the alphabet will inspire the post of the day.

There will be more personal posts, and you are welcome to leave a comment or ask a question at any time.


Here is my list for April :)

  1. Anthology
  2. Blogging

Hope to see you around!

  3. Course
  4. Dreams
  5. Email subscription

  7. Favourites
  8. Guest Posts
  9. Hobbies
10. Interview
11. Journaling
12. Kryane

14. Lettuce
15. My Story
16. NaNoWriMo
17. Obisidian
18. Plus 1
19. Questions

21. Reviews
22. STORM
23. Twitter
24. Useful links
25. Vacillate
26. Words

28. Xa'an
29. Yoke
30. Zirda

Voice Recognition Software and I: Part 2

 Since I started using Voice Recognition Software I have learned a few lessons:

1. Pronunciation: I might be fluent in English, but talking to a person is not the same as dictating to a computer. Since the computer does not understand speech, it only recognises frequencies and audio patterns, clarity is essential.
2. I have also learned (and the software will tell you that when you start out) is to speak fluently, ie speak in whole sentences, then it is more accurate. And yes, it actually is.
   A sentence in a novel might look like: John frowned. "What do you mean it exploded?"
   When you dictate that, the sentence will sound like: NEW LINE John frowned FULL STOP OPEN QUOTE what do you mean it exploded QUESTION MARK CLOSE QUOTE NEW LINE
   It does take some getting used to. The words in capital letters are INSTRUCTIONS to the computer, rather than dictation. You need a pause before you say them, otherwise the computer will type the "full stop" as part of your sentence. Still happens to me, especially if I am not paying close attention.
3. DNS (Dragon Naturally Speaking) can type directly into Microsoft programs. I, however, use YWriter5 or Open Office to write; neither of which are Microsoft products. No problem.
   When DNS recognises the software as being not directly compatible with its interface, it opens a text window that you then use for dictation. When you have finished dictating a portion of writing, issue the command TRANSFER, and he text will be moved to Open Office Writer (or whatever other word processor you might use).
   Word to the wise: Check the settings on DNS. Make sure the TRANSFER involves a COPY action and not a MOVE action. I lost a bit of writing when the transfer went to the wrong place in the document and could not be re-copied. Fortunately for me they weren't that many words.
4. There are other voice recognition software also available. I tried the built-in version that came with Windows 7. Yip, it is there you just need to find it. Like DNS it can be used to control programs in Windows, open and close files, browsing the internet, etc.
   I tried using it for dictation as well. It is not as accurate as DNS, no matter how much time I had spent on "teaching" it. I would think that it was written for control of programs more than dictation. If you could live with about 65-70% accuracy, editing is still needed after all, then consider using this for a start.
   You can use it with Notepad or Wordpad and then transfer to your word processor of choice. It has its own COMMAND set that you need to learn (these COMMANDS are not standard for the different packages).
   While it might be okay to write with, I would not recommend it for editing.
5. As mentioned you need to learn the DNS COMMAND set. Even if you have a standard (read not wide) screen, you can still keep the COMMAND set window open on the side until you a familiar with the commands to use.
   DNS has commands specifically for editing, and I have used that when I notice obvious errors in the text. I only "edit" with DNS while dictating my first drafts.
   Since I use DNS to relieve the stress on my hands, any editing I do after writing that first draft I use a keyboard, but you don't have to.
6. The one thing that I really like about voice recognition is that it makes no spelling errors. I know its weird, but I have a thing about spelling mistakes while I am writing. DNS has a large vocabulary, but still there are words that you to spell. It will add those to its dictionary - very cool!
   Names are a huge problem though. Since I also write in the fantasy genre, the names of my characters are not the usual. I mean, Alu"Edr'Erinia you are not going to find in a baby name list very soon (at least I hope not!)
   In cases like these, I keep a list of notes in a separate file where I pick a common name for the character, like Alan, and then find and replace it afterwards with my character's real name. It might sound like extra work, and it is, but it is so much easier than trying to spell that one - or pronounce it the same way - every time. 

In the last part I will tell you a bit more on my experience with dictating fiction, and a few last tips on writing with voice recognition software.

If you have Windows 7 or 8 or your computer, why not try its voice recognition, and tell me about your experience is in using it.

Voice Recognition Software and I: Part 1

After I did the incredibly brave (read stupid) thing to write 100,000 words during NaNoWriMo in 2012, I vowed to never to do that again. My hands hurt for weeks afterwards. Given the fact that I am responsible for writing a large report to our project's client every month, it had not been a smart thing to do.

Since then I have been looking out for voice recognition software that was easy to use, had a good accuracy rating, was compatible with my accent (I speak English, but with a South African accent) and was affordable.

The last requirement had been the most difficult. The one package, Dragon Naturally Speaking, fit all my needs, except for the aforementioned price. I found it on Amazon, but had to wait quite a while for a special offer to come around to be able to afford the package, the shipping and duties to South Africa.

Using the software

1. Take the time to let the software "learn" your voice. Every person is unique and the software can only work with a good measure of accuracy if you take the time.
2. DNS also learns your writing style from books, emails, articles, etc. that you have already written. Be patient while it works through these files.
3. Pronunciation needs to be clear. Computers do not understand mumbling and incoherent speech, although people do.
4. Invest in a gaming headset with microphone. These kinds of headsets are of higher quality and aimed at interaction with a computer.

Part 2 will be my personal experience with using DNS software, and other comments on writing fiction with voice recognition software :)

Tips, Tricks and Tales: Infuse Your Time with Extraordinary Purpose by Paula Grieco

Creative commons photo credit: Angie Nan

“A dream without a plan is just a wish.” Katherine Paterson

When I left the corner office of a high-growth tech company to work for myself, my biggest fear was that without external deadline pressure, I would never complete tasks again. Not one. Ever.

What I discovered was that checking items off of my “to do” list was still relatively easy…even with the distraction of social media.

The bigger challenge was ensuring that when all those completed tasks were strung together, I reached a meaningful goal – a dream even. There are an abundance of tech tools and sophisticated systems available to help you manage your time. But if after checking off all your tasks for the day, you feel no closer to reaching your goal, try this really simple method that has worked for me.

1. Start with your no limits list. Write down your biggest dreams and aspirations. Make them as measurable as possible and write down as many as you want.
2. Pick your one big meaningful thing. Really just one. Not saying that you won’t work on others, but many of us fail to reach our goal because we are trying to work on too many directions at once. Good goals distract great goals. So pick one. Really, just one.
3. Have a place for all your other brilliance. Creative and entrepreneurial types tend to have an abundance of amazing ideas. Have a place (one spot) to save all those brainstorms for the future.
4. Create a space for your one big thing. Get a box or clean out one drawer or empty a shelf to keep that one goal you just wrote down. This space is sacred so only items related to your goal are allowed in your box. Nothing else. Ever.
5. Underwhelm yourself with easy actions. Break your “big thing” into small actions until there is one step that feels easy. Make one phone call. Write 100 words. Some days, when you can, do a little more.
6. Dedicate a day a month to your dream. One day a month – blow it out of the park. Devote a whole day to working on your one meaningful thing. Every day, but especially on this day, get prepared the night before. Make a list of what you would like to accomplish. Even set out your clothes. Research shows that we have limited decision making capital everyday so take care of all the insignificant decisions.
7. Set a deadline. Only after working on your goal for about a month, set a deadline. Then multiple it times two.
8. Don’t dream (or write or make art or..) alone. Join or create a closed Facebook or face-to-face group meet up. Not negotiable.

Distractions will still happen, but they won’t derail you. (Though when you are writing a blog on time management, it is not advisable to begin your day by studying a tobacco body infographic – particularly if you don’t smoke.) Tasks will be hard, but not insurmountable.

Basic systems work. Save the complexity and sophistication for your dream – not the tools to manage it. 

In the comments, tell us how you make your time count for what really matters.

Author Bio

Paula is a former tech exec turned – entrepreneur and writer. She released he first book in the spring of 2013, Take 5 for Your Dreams. She is co-founder of What’s Your Brave?, a writing and media project that empowers girls and their parents to be brave, dream big, and take bold action.

Her work has been featured in: The Boston Globe, Online Christian Science Monitor, Tinybuddha, The Good Men Project, SheHeroes, and She Can’t What. It matters deeply to me that every person — that means you — on this planet has the opportunity to be who they really are and live what deep-down matters to them.

Sign up for Paula’s blog at: www.justbewhoyoureallyare.com.