The wonderful thing about being a freelance writer and dealing with what life throws our way is that if we planned it right, we still have a residual source of income that comes in whether or not we have time to write (do you hear a motherly lesson on the horizon?).

Motherly Advice

I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating.

1. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket
2. Work on building a base of articles on several freelance writing sites that pay via residual income
3. Spend a little time creating your own blog/website.

From the comments I receive on this blog I understand that Textbroker, Demand Studios and other pay for writing sites a very popular. I’m not advocating that anyone stop writing for those sites. Quite the contrary, keep writing for those sites, but don’t lose sight of the future. In addition to writing for those sites continue to build a foundation of articles on residual sites. This way, when the unexpected happens and you are unable to spend the time that you would normally spend writing, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’re making money.

The Other Good Thing about Life’s Doses and Freelance Writing

Being dealt a large dose of life unexpectedly is a great way to find writing material. If written properly, your writing can serve as an outlet for you as a writer and serve as a learning experience for the reader. What better way to help yourself and others

As a result of this rather large dose of life that has been placed in my lap, my posts here may be a bit more sporadic than usual for a little while.

Digital voice recorders are little devices that have come to replace the old fashioned tape recorder. The beauty of a digital voice recorder is that they are small enough so that a writer can carry it at all times (I’ve taken to wearing mine around my neck like a necklace). They are convenient and simple to use.
Writers, who are visionaries by nature, can use their creativity when it comes to exploring the many ways in which a digital voice recorder can be helpful in a writing career. Here are a few instances:

Digital Voice Recorder Uses:

1. Document interviews. It will catch and record every spoken word. No more guesswork.
2. Capture that great idea (which usually presents itself when you’re driving and unable to write it down only to forget it once you’ve reached your destination)
3. Multi tasking. The next best novel can be dictated while sitting in a mile long traffic jam
4. Total recall of fine details. Describe the details of an event into the digital voice recorder while it happens. No need to wait until you get home when the details of recollection begin to get fuzzy.
5. Record driving directions. You’re in a town away from home with no GPS or Mapquest. A local town person offers simple directions that include 15 left turns and 18 right turns and 3 stop signs to reach your destination. A digital voice recorder will come in handy.

[smartads]
The one two punch

Coupled with voice recognition software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a freelance writer’s productivity can increase two; three and four fold with a digital voice recorder. It’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter.

A real life scenario

You finally arrive home after unbelievable traffic and before you begin the evening cooking, cleaning, homework, etc, take the digital voice recorder and attach it to your computer. Download all that you dictated while sitting in traffic. While it’s downloading, you continue on with your evening chores.

You check the computer to click on the “Voice Recognition” option in your digital voice recorder’s software (once all of the dictation is downloaded). The software brings up Dragon NaturallySpeaking and begins to transcribe your hour or so of dictation while you go back to cooking dinner, homework, etc.

After the evening flurry of activity is over, you check the computer to save the transcribed file. Once it’s there on the computer, all you have to do is edit your dictation as you see fit.

The digital voice recorder coupled with voice recognition software can make a big difference in your writing productivity. You can become a one-person writing phenom.

Writer’s Tip:

There are several voice recognition software packages on the market just as there are several Digital Voice recorders. I happen to use the combination of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Sony ICD-P520 and it works for me. Do your homework to find the combination that will work for you.