Dictation & Google Docs

I honestly didn’t even know that my phone could do voice to text until my head injury (I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the most technologically savvy), but I have to say, that’s probably been the most advantageous service I have used since.

In addition to Google docs being free, the next best thing about it is how easy it is, and that it backs your work up immediately. I set everything to dark mode so that the touch ups are as comfortable as I can make it for my eyes, and dictate directly into Google docs where my work is automatically saved. It’s great especially for when I am mid-sentence, but my brain gives me a hard nope and I need to just stop.

Once the document is ready though, I can access it from my computer quickly and easily to print out (or have someone print for me), and do revisions in hard copy before returning to the document via my phone and dark mode option to do the edits.

One of the primary challenges that I’ve faced is how different my speech pattern tends to be from good writing. Needless to say, it has taken a lot of practice to sort of plan ahead as I speak. It’s a constant work in progress, and I’ve even caught myself saying “comma” or “period” in voice chats, much to my sister’s amusement, but it definitely gets better with practice.

Another challenge, however, is how carefully you must enunciate. And especially if you write fantasy or anything with less common technical terms, dictation doesn’t always understand and will default to the closest sounding alternative. If, like me, you forgo even peeking at your phone at all when you are dictating notes, you feel kind of like a code breaker when you have to go back and figure out who it what you were talking about. One thing I can suggest in that case is designating a common alternative word to replace the made up or technical one, so that you don’t have to translate things like “overalls is looking for NFL”…. Speaking from experience…. lol… So I decided to just call that character Overalls in future notes. It worked, and at least the interpretation was consistent.

Pen and Paper

This is probably the most obvious option, but I actually find it the most tedious because then I have to write everything again to get it into a digital copy. That being said, depending on what your screen tolerance is like, it is the only way to go some days, as it is 100 times easier on the eyes than anything with a backlit screen, because even dictation requires peeking more often than ideal.

Since I like to print my documents for revision anyways, depending on the length of the piece, I will just write shorter pieces by hand and get all of the revisions sorted out before I dictate it. Also, because I write technical equestrian articles as often as I write fantasy, it’s a lot easier to just be able to write out the correct names and terms as opposed to having to clean up Dictation’s misinterpretations.

Freewrite

I am feeling very lucky to be able to even suggest the Freewrite typewriter. I remember learning about this company years ago, but could never justify the cost. Until a year into the head injury when I realized that it might be my best bet to write at least somewhat normally. I’d been humming and hawing over it for weeks when a loved one bought it for me to shut me up. Ha! So, if you have a rich relative…

The Freewrite has an e-ink display, and connects via Wi-Fi to your Google docs to backup your work immediately, provided you are with Wi-Fi where you write (and if you’re not, it will back it up as soon as you are). It is no different than reading off a page of paper, which can certainly have enough of its own challenges, but allows for a longer working time than anything that is backlit.

The Freewrite is definitely better as a drafting tool, so don’t expect to be able to make big revisions, but there are hot keys in which you can navigate the document with your cursor to make small edits or fix typos. Everything is explained simply in the instruction manual.

Adjust Your Peripherals

My physiotherapist suggested that I block out the external peripherals by putting tape on the earpieces of my glasses, and by putting fogged Scotch tape just between my eyes. By reducing the peripherals, you reduce how much your brain is required to translate in the background. It can take some getting used to, as well as finding the best placement for the tape between your eyes, but it certainly helped me, especially early on.

Add Translucent Colour

By adding colour, you reduce the contrast between the black and white of the text.

If you have coloured gels or even those plastic dividers that are see-through, play around to see if different colours laid over your page make it more comfortable to read. I found purple to be the most comfortable colour to lay over the pages when I proofread, or when I want to try to read. I even tried covering my laptop screen with the purple divider. It helped a little, but computer screens are a different ball game for me. Maybe it will work for you!

Reduce the Blue Light

There is a fantastic app you can get on your phone called Night Shift. It is free to use, unless you want the fancy features, and it makes it possible to make your phone even darker than the manufacturer functions while also adding an orange filter. I have used this since I heard of it, and it works over Google docs and whatever other apps you use to make your phone a more comfortable experience. I am yet to see if I can get this on my laptop, but I should probably look into that. I will update this if I do!

Another option is getting blue light blocking glasses. I purchased a pair of clip-on lenses that attach to my regular prescription glasses and it’s like putting a nice cozy blanket on your eyes when you are looking at a screen. Although it’s not enough to make computer screens or television comfortable for me, it does help a lot. On particularly bad days, I will wear them even with the Night Shift app on my phone for greater comfort.

While this post was probably too long for anyone who is actually suffering from a head injury, perhaps the friend of an injured person can share the insights. I can definitely empathize with how frustrating it is when you are forced to stop the things you’re passionate about. Sometimes what that really means, though, is you have to find a new way of doing them. Thankfully we are in an age with a lot of technological conveniences that can help.