Day 877: No dictation today, struggling with editing
4thewords.com was down for maintenance yesterday, and for some reason I was too lazy to blog.
I also had some IBS issues yesterday, and afterward, I realized that while each bout of discomfort likely adds to my stress levels, it might be possible to dissipate some of my stress with a walk, assuming I was feeling better by then. So I took a walk and found that I did indeed feel like I had a bit more energy than before.
Taking advantage of that, I did a bit of editing on the manuscript. I had intended to do more, but I was feeling tired, and I admit I was a little lazy. I did not do any dictation yesterday.
I am hoping to have more self-discipline today. However, I’ve been distracted all morning for some reason by little house concerns, which has caused me to procrastinate starting work. Argh! I don’t know why I do this!
So I’m going to fall back on the Pomodoro Method for a little while to see if that helps me focus better. I need to do the cleanup editing of my dictation that I did on the 24th. I also hope to go over my blocking notes for the next scene to make sure they’re ready for me to start dictating.
***
The Pomodoro Method helped a lot today. I think part of the reason I was distracted and procrastinated was because it was editing work, which I loathe. I really need to try to do the cleanup editing the same day I do the dictation. Otherwise, doing the editing the next day is tougher.
Tomorrow I have to make sure that my blocking notes are well-organized before I can start dictation on the scene. I’ve discovered that better blocking notes make for much smoother dictation, with fewer problems that need to be fixed during the cleanup editing later. It adds to the time it takes me to write the scene, but I am hoping it will make for better prose since I can simply dictate the scene and not have to reorganize or edit the blocking notes as I’m dictating, which is really tough to do.
I am hoping that reviewing my blocking notes won’t take too long and that I’ll be able to dictate the scene, also. Or at least part of the scene. The day before, I had blogged about wanting to dictate the entire scene in a day rather than leaving off in the middle, and while I still would prefer that, I also don’t want to make it so that I can only dictate when everything is “just right.” Otherwise I won’t dictate if I don’t have enough time to dictate the entire scene, and that’s just stupid.
On another note, I also noticed that my dictation hasn’t been very accurate the past several times I did it. I’m not entirely sure if it’s because of the microphone set up at my desk, but it might be. Maybe it’s not at an optimal angle or distance from my mouth? I know that my mouth is at a different spot than when I hold the mic up in my hands, but I switched to the boom arm because the microphone is simply too heavy to hold for very long. I wonder if I should try doing the dictation with a different set up, like holding the mic instead? I should at least try it and compare the accuracy.
Writing streak: 356 days
My takeaway for today: Try to do the cleanup editing the same day as the dictation, or else it will be harder to do the next day.
My second takeaway for today: Try holding the mic instead of using the boom arm stand to see if it changes the accuracy.
I also had some IBS issues yesterday, and afterward, I realized that while each bout of discomfort likely adds to my stress levels, it might be possible to dissipate some of my stress with a walk, assuming I was feeling better by then. So I took a walk and found that I did indeed feel like I had a bit more energy than before.
Taking advantage of that, I did a bit of editing on the manuscript. I had intended to do more, but I was feeling tired, and I admit I was a little lazy. I did not do any dictation yesterday.
I am hoping to have more self-discipline today. However, I’ve been distracted all morning for some reason by little house concerns, which has caused me to procrastinate starting work. Argh! I don’t know why I do this!
So I’m going to fall back on the Pomodoro Method for a little while to see if that helps me focus better. I need to do the cleanup editing of my dictation that I did on the 24th. I also hope to go over my blocking notes for the next scene to make sure they’re ready for me to start dictating.
***
The Pomodoro Method helped a lot today. I think part of the reason I was distracted and procrastinated was because it was editing work, which I loathe. I really need to try to do the cleanup editing the same day I do the dictation. Otherwise, doing the editing the next day is tougher.
Tomorrow I have to make sure that my blocking notes are well-organized before I can start dictation on the scene. I’ve discovered that better blocking notes make for much smoother dictation, with fewer problems that need to be fixed during the cleanup editing later. It adds to the time it takes me to write the scene, but I am hoping it will make for better prose since I can simply dictate the scene and not have to reorganize or edit the blocking notes as I’m dictating, which is really tough to do.
I am hoping that reviewing my blocking notes won’t take too long and that I’ll be able to dictate the scene, also. Or at least part of the scene. The day before, I had blogged about wanting to dictate the entire scene in a day rather than leaving off in the middle, and while I still would prefer that, I also don’t want to make it so that I can only dictate when everything is “just right.” Otherwise I won’t dictate if I don’t have enough time to dictate the entire scene, and that’s just stupid.
On another note, I also noticed that my dictation hasn’t been very accurate the past several times I did it. I’m not entirely sure if it’s because of the microphone set up at my desk, but it might be. Maybe it’s not at an optimal angle or distance from my mouth? I know that my mouth is at a different spot than when I hold the mic up in my hands, but I switched to the boom arm because the microphone is simply too heavy to hold for very long. I wonder if I should try doing the dictation with a different set up, like holding the mic instead? I should at least try it and compare the accuracy.
Writing streak: 356 days
My takeaway for today: Try to do the cleanup editing the same day as the dictation, or else it will be harder to do the next day.
My second takeaway for today: Try holding the mic instead of using the boom arm stand to see if it changes the accuracy.
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