Dictated Oct 23
So for digital writing month, I plan to write something every day. I will do so by dictating to my iPhone in bits and pieces and stolen moments, between classes, during lunch breaks, even at night in bed and inspiration suddenly hits me. I am going to try to do this with a minimum of editing except for voice recognition errors.
I have a lot of political, philosophical, social, religious, and educational concepts about which I want to write digitally. For practice tonight, I’m going to reflect on why I seldom actually publish anything I write. I have in my Google drive a piece of writing called reply to Maha. It’s a response I started to make to a blog post that she wrote about being marginalized and being famous on the margins. I haven’t posted the comment on her blog. Part of the reason is that by the time I was done writing it I had no time to go back and edit it and I did not want to post it without looking it over making sure that the grammar is correct, that I said what I actually intended to say, that I didn’t exaggerate my points, that it was carefully nuanced, etc., etc. I keep telling my students that it’s OK to make mistakes. I tell them if they haven’t made a mistake, they probably haven’t attempted anything worthwhile. Sometime ago Carol Jager (sic) applauded me for that and then asked, “And Jim, do you allow yourself the same freedom?” No. I realize I don’t. I wonder if I feel that my reputation is too fragile to risk publishing mistakes. There’s really probably no excuse for that. The online community in which I function has been completely supportive. I have no reason to be afraid. I’m very self-conscious that I don’t have the same credentials that many of these people have, but I have plenty of evidence to show That I get nothing but encouragement when I publish something. Of course, at the back of my mind is that niggling thought, yes but all that I published has been very carefully and meticulously edited. And the things that did not meet my editing standards, or the things that I was uncertain about, or felt that I needed more time to edit “later” just did not get published.
So this digital writing month is going to be Jim Stauffer raw. Trying to speed up my writing process by taking some risks that I haven’t allowed myself before. Incomplete sentences, run-on sentences, exaggerated points that have not been carefully nuanced or completely thought out. Possibly even the wild speculations and some political incorrectness. I will not try deliberately to be inflammatory just to get responses. I don’t believe that’s Jenny wine – that’s not me.
(I thought that last line was just too cute to correct the voice recognition.)
Yup, you nailed it – I share this problem with you, Jim, as I’m sure many do. Glad to meet you here in DigiWriMo land. I will definitely try this tactic of dictation. Do you use an app that turns it into text?
I’m curious, too, what is it about “talking” the writing that allows you to feel more comfortable with leaving it “raw” (a word from the comments that is just so perfect). Thanks for posting, and happy writing!
Mitra, I laughed out loud at your ≤140 about tweeting with commas. We must have had the same English teachers in Jr High.
I use the dictation function built into iOS (mic on keyboard) on my iPhone. I dictate into google docs because it’s so easy to transfer that to my blog – but not quite as threatening as fully automating the posting. I think it’s the inconvenience of editing on the small screen as much as anything that makes it easier for me to leave it. With my fingers on a keyboard, I find it much more difficult to keep from second-guessing myself. Well, time to go dictate my DigiWriMo contribution for today.
Hi, we haven’t met until now. I’m just here to say ” Yay!” And bring it on! I look forward to hearing, seeing, reading, listening to what you have to say. And when in doubt, read Maha. Always good for the writer soul.
Cheers,
Sherri
Very pleased to meet you Sherri. I left an “audience” comment on your #DigiWriMo guest blog (and already want to edit it 🙂 )
Agree, Maha is a treasure, inspiration, goad, role model, and she’s refreshing.
Very interesting Jim; I never suspected that you were so meticulous! (later addition of exclamation mark) – my first sentence but hey, (hmm… slangy, comma there?) I’d normally rewrite that as I don’t want you to think that I think (too many thinks!!) that (what I’ve seen of – leave out, redundant) your stuff isn’t (is not?) meticulous (spelling?)
That’s me too. I take so long to write and check things out that it’s a real deterrent to blogging and commenting. Maybe I’m getting over it but my ex-educator correctionist tendencies are very strong. What helps are blogs like Maha’s where ropey grammar and expression is (usually!) completely transcended by common good sense and sentiment. I’m not nearly at the stage of daring to write raw – maybe your bold experiment will help to concentrate my mind!
Very refreshing read here Jim. It took me years to overcome self-censorship. I visited a department in the Louvre where I had access to artists sketchbooks and realised what I preferred was not the ‘finished work’ but the process. Now I publish stuff which has a life of itself and obliges me to think after. Interested about your audio-dictation as have been writing a lot about audio recently.
Something about the inconvenience of editing on the small screen makes it easier to leave it raw. Right now I’m on my laptop typing into DigiWriMo Roster and can’t seem to leave what first flows from my fingertips.