Wednesday 29 September 2010

A Mouth with Many Uses*

A word of advice for you this delightfully, productive Wednesday - buy a Dictaphone.

While scribbling notes in the dark (too lazy to get out of bed and switch on the light) I thought, I need a machine that records your voice so I could jot this down and know it'll be readable (in a way) in the morning. Boy, but I wish they'd invent something. Doh! In my defence it was the middle of the night and I was a little bit unnerved by the dream I'd just had.

Okay, a lot unnerved. Why didn't I switch on the light? Because I wanted to stay huddled under the duvet. Things could have been watching me and I couldn't let them know that I knew they were there.

Anyhow, come the light of day, I declared I was going to buy a Dictaphone.

Most wonderful purchase ever.

Bought the Dictaphone on Monday - Monday night I rambled at it - Tuesday afternoon I typed up 1339 words of 'Broken Spokes of an Umbrella Sky' - very, very rough draft, but it exists and it wouldn't have done if not for the rambling. It doesn't end there.

Tuesday night I rambled at the machine - lets call him Walter - and this afternoon I typed up 2601 words of an as yet untitled project. How lazy am I? I didn't take time out to come up with a title. Unless my title was yawn - oh, and I yawn alot.

In contrast. I scribbled some notes into a book last week - I have 223 words of an as yet uncompleted draft and haven't a clue where I'm going with it. Dictaphone, I am sold. Seriously, go out and buy one. Unless of course, you're already prolific, then please don't--you'll make me look bad.

And in other news, you may have noticed the pretty picture above - if you head over to Barry Napier's blog, you'll find a little contest with some awesome prizes (I want) for his book 'A Mouth for Picket Fences'. Go enter, or better yet, buy a copy (that way you're guaranteed to win).

*Goodness, but the blog title sounds dirty.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've seriously considered getting one of these, but I truly loathe the sound of my own voice. Is there a feature where I could change the sound of it during playback? If so, then I'd be sold.

Kimbra Kasch said...

Just remember to buy battaries - I tried the dictaphone thing - until I woke up and thought I was dictating...

Barry Napier said...

Thanks for the plug...and yes, the title sounds very Natalie L. Sin-ish. :)

Katey said...

That does sound like rather a good idea--I scribble awfully even when I'm completely awake. This MS I'm trying to edit--god. I had to go back and write things several times just to make sure I'd be able to read it again when I got around to integrating... burned myself so many times!

K.C. Shaw said...

I had a dictaphone several years ago that I used to keep my wordcount up over Thanksgiving, one NaNoWriMo year, during a 9-hour drive to visit family. It worked really well, but I don't know what happened to it. I ought to get another one.

Aaron Polson said...

I talk to myself and let Fred take notes. Fred's really good at notes. He never adds any nasty adverbs or anything.

Go Fred.

Fox Lee said...

Dirty doesn't begin to cover it ; )

Cate Gardner said...

Milo, you can make yourself talk really fast or really slow - problem is, you pretty much sound bad, only bad on drugs.

Kim - noted.

Ha, I thought so too, Barry.

It's earlier days yet, but Katey, yeah buy a dictaphone.

Walter's fond of repeating himself. Could you get Fred to sort him out, Aaron?

Ha, Natalie.

Danielle Birch said...

We use them at work and I always think that I should get one for home, but I never do.

Corinne said...

It's definitely tempting, sometimes - if only because of how often my pens seem to run out of ink. Either I write a lot, or I just use very crappy pens...

Still, I despise hearing my own voice. I'd probably end up never actually listening to the thing :D

Cate Gardner said...

Oh Danielle, do, do, do.

I've gotten over the 'I hate my voice thing' (she lies), but the pain is worth the profit. Though as you're prolific anyway, you possibly don't need one, Corinne. I've been slack this year, so it's proving a godsend. I could end up writing more this month than I've done all year.

Tyhitia Green said...

Sounds very useful--especially since ideas can strike at any moment. :-D

Anthony Rapino said...

All hail the Dictaphone! :-)

I have trouble listening to my own voice, so I'm not sure how enjoyable a Dictaphone would be for me. Then again, I do like staying in bed.

What kind did you get?

Cate Gardner said...

I highly recommend getting one, Tyhitia.

Anthony, I got an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder (WS-450S) which I only realised after the fact requires batteries - how outdated. If I'd spent £20 more I could have charged it up via my pc. Still, the battery appears to be holding it's own very well.