Adventures with the Dragon

A lot of people ask me what it's like to work with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. They want to know if it requires a lot of tweaking, like going back and fixing typos and how much fun AutoCorrect can be. So I decided that I would do a post that I would not edit. You're going to see my writing in all its Dragony glory.

May the gods help you all.

okay, so it's not that bad. sure, I have to go back and fix punctuation and capitalization far more often than you'd think. And a lot of times I have to add spaces between words, and I have to say things like COMMA to actually make one. And for some reason it consistently thinks that AMARA's name should be shouted. I'm not sure why, but it is a really fond of doing that.

to make new paragraphs you have to say things like "new line" or "new paragraph", and if that's what you actually wanted to type. You have to say it slowly so Dragon doesn't get confused. And I know some people have problems with Dragon not recognizing their accent. I haven't had that issue, although I have had to enunciate a little more clearly than I normally do. And when I get on a roll and the Mary South Philly slips out, Dragon can get a little confused.

Overall though, when my hands really hurt. And the last thing I want to do is move my fingers, Dragon is a godsend. All the little tweaks and fixes are worth it, cause I'd rather type a few words than 2000.

I would have to say for someone who wants to try it, make sure you get it good microphone. It makes a huge difference. As a gamer geek, I have a pair of Logitech G 35 headphones that work beautifully. The microphone is crisp and clear, picks up the sound of my voice really well, and they're comfortable to wear long-term. I can have my music going and not here. The distracting noises of my children and my husband.

I will admit, they aren't cheap. They ranged anywhere from $90 to $130, according to Amazon. but if you're going to be wearing something long-term (like 5 to 6 hours a day), the expense is worth it.however, for the purposes of using Dragon. The main thing is the microphone. Without a good microphone. You might as well be talking to the Cat. so if you do nothing else make sure that the headphones you pick up. Have an excellent microphone.

I have noticed when I hesitate in my speech Dragon will automatically put in a period. As you may have noticed above. One of the lovely things about AutoCorrect is that it tries to figure out your punctuation for you. So you wind up going back and fixing that. I'd say that takes up the largest chunk of my editing time when I use Dragon.

So that's it. That's Dragon in a nutshell. If what you're reading here is making your inner editor want to scream in frustration and break out the red pen, then the program may not be for you. But if you're like me and think that a day of fixing little quirks is worth the lack of pain, then give it a try.