I just ordered a dozen different replacements from both China and the United States. I'm not getting caught with this problem. I ordered some foam windscreens and some that are made of hair. The wind will not stop my work ever again!
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The Right Gear
When you're going mobile and leaving the house to record, keep your notes on a separate device. Don't use your phone to store your outline and record. For podcast episodes, I write all my notes by hand in a spiral-bound notebook.
For this project, I stored all of my notes in my iPad mini. I very rarely use this device, even though I bought it five years ago. I don't get to use it very often because I don't go mobile that often. This purchase I made many years ago is finally paying off.
The notes for this book are far more extensive than the sketches for podcast episodes. It would take me longer to write these notes by hand than it's taking to record the entire book.
I also love mind mapping with my iPad mini. I barely use any other apps, but I feel like I'm mind mapping in the future when I use it.
Don’t run any other apps while you are recording. If you are recording and accidentally click an app that has sound or uses the microphone, it will disconnect your recording app. When I'm listening to music and open the wrong app on my phone, it disconnects the music.
Finally, there is the risk of disaster. Everyone has dropped their phone at least once. If I drop my phone into the ocean, I don't want to lose my recording and all my notes. That would be devastating.
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Be Fastidious
The more you are fastidious from the start, the easier the dictation process will be. At the start of each recording, say the date, chapter name, section name and the title of your book. This will help if your file names get corrupted. Some programs save each file with the same name. And sometimes you just forget to name the file you're recording. Including this reference data in the actual recording will protect you in case anything happens to your file structure. It's another layer of backup.
I give memorable names to every section in my books, fiction and nonfiction, to ensure that I know what's happening. I might change the section titles later on, but during the draft phase, it helps to use clear and descriptive names. It can be something as simple as “Prince Philip Gets Angry” or “Philip Fights Susan.” Just saying that at the start of the recording will remind me of what happens in the scene. I don't have to listen to the whole recording to remember.
Having descriptive starts to each audio file allows me to sync them up with my Scrivener files. Sometimes the recording numbers get out of order. I always move around chapters and sections within chapters. The order of this book is not the order in which I recorded the sections.
Think of putting this information at the start of your recordings like the little black clapper that they use when making movies. It serves the same purpose. It provides a reference within the actual content.
You can never be too prepared with naming and organizing your files. With your first book, you can get away with being fast and loose with your organization. But once you've written ten, you'll have to go back and try to untangle your Gordian Knot.
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Be Organized
Organize your hardware the same way you organize your files and software. Once you have a mobile audio setup that works for you, store your gear together.
We have a little waterproof tough case in the closet. It is filled with little foam squares that we can disassemble and reorganize to fit the shapes of our equipment. It is my mobile recording studio. It holds my mobile recording devices, iPad mini, microphones, video cameras, cables, extra SD cards, and backup batteries.
All of my equipment is in one place, and I can always find it. If something is missing, the shape of the hole is a big clue. We use a waterproof case because I live next to the ocean and it rains all the time here. I know a lot of young musicians who spend all their money on gear and not protective equipment. Their instruments always get damaged. I don't want that happening to me.
Organize your mobile recording studio and keep everything in the same place. Searching all over the house for the tiny microphone battery is never a fun Saturday morning. Sometimes you will have no warning that it's time to record. If the power goes out, recording might become the only way you can work today.
You don't need a fancy waterproof case, but it sure makes you feel like a professional. My wife often carries the case when we are out recording. She controls the camera for me. I don't have to worry about anything happening if she accidentally drops the case. I can already envision her accidentally dropping a cheaper case, damaging one of the cameras and the stress it would put on our relationship. No thanks!
At the very least designate a bag as your recording bag. If you always use the same bag, you'll be quicker to notice if anything is missing. When you load your recording bag, you can check each thing you need to have: the extra microphone, batteries, and backup notebook.
Having all of your gear organized will prevent a technical problem or missing cable from shutting down your work. I wasn't properly prepared when I started recording this book. I started recording almost on the spur of the moment, and nothing was ready. My mobile setup is for recording video, so the wrong gear was organizing.
There were quite a few hiccups during that first day of recording. The iPad wasn't charged, I didn't have Scrivener on there for my notes, and there were a few other problems. Even with all my talk of preparation, I am still continuing to learn and improve my prep strategy.
I have a backup battery for my phone and iPad mini, but unfortunately my daughter thinks it is a toy phone. So it's always missing. I don't know where it is right now. I think I'll have to buy another battery that doesn't look so fun as another layer of backup.
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Prep Your Gear
I needed to charge the iPad, then update the software, then install the new version of the Scrivener app, then download the file from my computer to the iPad. It took quite a few hours to get everything done. It killed my afternoon because I didn't know I was going to start recording today. I wasn't prepared at all.
I have a very particular setup and know what I need when I record in the morning for my podcast episodes, and now I have a different setup to dictate these book chapters.
Whether it's a little case that protects everything, or a little travel bag, whatever you use, having a dedicated bag will make you more organized. Check the batteries on everything and have an extra battery pack on hand. The backup battery my daughter loves to play with and hide cost less than twenty bucks, and it can charge everything twice over. It has two USB ports so I can charge my phone and tablet simultaneously.
I know we have talked a lot about preparation and disaster. It's a big section because when it happens, it can be devastating.
Plan for a little bit of disaster. Plan for some distractions. Have a backup location. Have backup equipment. With enough preparation, external factors won't be able to hurt your ability to record.
Whenever you try a new recording location, check to see how the audio sounds. Check for wind and background noise. You might not even notice that cool breeze, but it could be enough to ruin your recording. Your software won't give you a usable transcription. You might need a better windscreen than the one that came with your microphone.
While I'm recording right now, people are playing soccer twenty feet behind one. A motorcycle just went roaring down the road. Everyone removes their mufflers here, so even a far-away motorcycle can find its way onto my recordings. And now a boat is cruising in front of me.
With all of that noise, I need to have my windscreen and audio settings correct. The quality is good enough to create a transcription.
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Headphones
I know none of these noises is loud enough to mess with this recording because I've tested and tested, but I definitely couldn't use this recording for a podcast episode. I would never let anyone listen to
this audio. If you want people to listen to the actual audio, it has to be pristine. Finding the right balance comes from experimentation and experience. Any time you go to a new location, record some samples and listen to them.
Don't listen through the device. If you listen to the speakers on your smartphone or the tiny, terrible speaker in your recorder, you won't be able to tell if the sound is good enough. Bad speakers will give you bad data.
Get the best headphones you can afford. I recently upgraded to some top of the line headphones. I bought the very best Beats headphones I could find. They're Bluetooth, they're wireless, the battery lasts for ten hours, and they cover my ears enough to block unwanted noise. Whenever I listen to an audio file of my recording, I crank up the volume because I'm looking to hear what the bottom sounds like. The bottom is the lowest sound I want to hear.
If there's static, an electrical hum, or some background noise, you might not notice at low volume. But when someone starts playing your audiobook in their car, they will hear those sounds. These same noises can confuse your dictating software and produce unreadable text. They can also torment your transcriptionist, if you hire a human.
If you're just listening to your computer speakers, you won't hear this noise when you test it. Cheap speakers don't transmit every frequency. Check audio on high-quality headphones to ensure you don't miss anything.
Turn the volume up to hear the sounds other than your voice. If there's too much background noise, it will affect everything. With dictation, we can get away with more background noise than when recording an audiobook.
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Break a Sweat
When you're out and about, some people might look at you strangely when you're talking to yourself. This happens less and less these days; people are used to strangers taking public phone calls using hidden Bluetooth headsets.
It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but during a recent recording session, everyone thought that I was crazy. When my wife went to tell the people in the restaurant not to make noise when I'm recording, they were shocked.
Everyone who works there knows that I'm an author. They all saw my notes in front of me while I recorded and the microphone clipped to my shirt. They still told her that they thought I was talking to myself.
Some people might think you're crazy for talking to yourself, but who cares? You're getting something important accomplished. You can get some chores done or get some exercise while writing your next book.
One caveat. Please don't jump straight into dangerous sports while dictating. If you want to break a sweat, go for a walk, but please don't go mountain climbing. I don't want to get an upset email from a family member after you fall. Avoid activities and sports that require concentration to stay alive.
I don't even walk very much while dictating; I'm pretty clumsy and will trip over a rock. I get so focused on what I'm saying that I lose track of my surroundings. You may be more coordinated than me or better at dividing your focus, so you can be a little more athletic.
Find the right balance between enjoyment and focus. I would never be able to record this book while running or surfing, but you might be able to handle that easily. I can barely think when I'm exercising, let alone dictate a book. I just put in twenty minutes on the exercise bike, took a shower, and came out here to record.
I'm not ready to run and record at the same time. Maybe I'll be able to do it on a treadmill, but I certainly can't record while running on the beach.
If I'm running as fast as I can and panting, I can't speak in a normal voice; I won’t get clean dictation. Sitting on my dock is the perfect balance for me, but if you're a natural athlete or marathon runner, you might find recording while you run quite easy. That's why we're testing; to find the perfect balance for you.
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Dictation is One Piece
We've talked a lot about dictation in this book, but that's not the main thrust. Our main thrust is to find the techniques that turn you into the fastest writer possible. We covered all the writing techniques and drills first because they are more important. If you jumped right to this section, please circle back to the beginning. I covered some cool techniques you can use to get you faster.
Dictation cannot make up for errors in the rest of your writing strategies. It's an accelerator, not a replacement. Mix and match the different techniques from the 20K System to create your personal writing formula. Only then will you find writing nirvana.
Many people can double their words per hour quickly by using the 20K System, but that's not enough. Our goal is more than words per hour. We want to shrink the distance between starting and finishing your book. With the 20K System, you can finish the first draft of your novel in less than a month.
That is the goal I want you to burn into your heart.
Speed is only one component of becoming a great writer. How quickly you can type or dictate is important, but it's not the whole story. Writing a book is about more than just throwing words onto a page.
If you only write for one hour a day, you're never going to hit your goals. We need to develop systems to turn you into a marathon writer. Focus on your daily word counts. That's where you will find massive success. Then you can start tearing through projects like a Tasmanian devil.
Design your day in a way that gets you the numbers you need. At this point, you may need to reread the sections on forming and developing habits. Writing successfully is a habit.
Part of my success comes from my writing speed, but another part comes from my tenacity. I stick with a task until it is finished and I always deliver projects on time.
I can focus on a project when I need to. When I get that middle-of-the-night phone call to write a book in four days, I know I can deliver.
I was not born with a great writing ability. I am very easily distracted. There are so many other things I'd love to do right now. Without strong habits and infrastructure, they would distract me, even from dictating on the beach. Without a strong habit, even dictation won't save your next writing project.
Having children changed my approach to business. With kids on the scene, I realized I have to start taking my career very seriously.
You go from making enough money to party this week to trying to make enough money to buy your kids food and diapers. Children need lots of stuff! There's always something new they need. I love them so much, and I want them to have the best life possible.
Strategies and techniques are powerful. They can accelerate your writing. But the writing habit is critical. Once you establish strong habits, your word counts will grow geometrically, and you will hit the goals you've always dreamed of.
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Action Steps
Build your mobile recording studio. Organize your equipment and backups. Use the same bag or case every time you record.
Develop a pre-recording checklist. Check all your batteries and equipment.
Experiment with different postures and see how this affects your voice and tone. Use body position to improve your writing.
Modify your setup for multiple recording locations as different noises will impact your dictation accuracy.
Invest in backups and protection for your equipment.
Organize your files, equipment, and recordings.
Begin each recording with organizational data. Say the project name, date, chapter name and description for each section.
Test your equipment at the start of each recording session.
Get the best headphones you can afford to test your audio.
Experiment to find your perfect freedom, quality and exercise balance.
Go back through the habit section and build a dictation habit.
Part XXVII
Editing Without Tearing Your Hair Out
I write and write and write, and then I edit it down to the parts that I think are amusing, or that help the storyline, or I'll write a notebook full of ideas of anecdotes or story points, and then I'll try and arrange them in a way that they would tell
a semi-cohesive story.
- Al Yankovic
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Content is King
Who cares about editing? That was my first thought when I looked at bringing in an external editor. Why should I pay someone to check my spelling? I can just use spellcheck on Word and be done with it.
After seeing how many editors are absolutely ripping off up-and-coming authors, I decided to stay as far away from them as possible. Some editors will charge more than ten thousand dollars to review your book. Then they start talking about multiple passes and an editor can easily cost more than a new car.
I scored a near perfect score on the SAT in high school. On the PSAT, I didn’t make a single mistake in the English section. My master’s degree is in teaching English. And yet I absolutely, positively need an editor for one simple reason.
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The Kiss of Death Review
20K a Day: How to Launch More Books and Make More Money Page 29