Hi I'm a new member to this forum. Actually I'm a new member to writing forums in general. Some of you might work out from my nickname that I also have another hobby - fly-fishing. I've glanced through some of the sections and I see that members seem to come from all over the world - that's great. I've only started writing. Well I suppose that's not true - I've been writing press releases for a long time as part of my work but now I'd like to write short stories and novels. I've managed to get some ideas on paper but whether or not they all end up as finished products is another story. I live in Ireland. I have a question but I cant seem to work out the best section to ask it in so I'll ask it here. Has anyone any experience of using dictaphones with voice recognition software. I'm wondering what is the best type. I seem to get a lot of ideas while I'm out walking which promptly disappear when I get home and am sitting at my computer. Thanks in advance for any advice offered. Mayfly
Hi Mayfly. Welcome to the forum. I've been here all of 24 hrs & I've found the "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" really works. Give reviews to get them. Can't help you out with the dictaphone question. Sorry! Best of luck & get posting!
Ooh, fly-fishing appears to be an enjoyable hobby. A fisherman puts a fly (or some sort of bait) on the end of their line, and then whips the line through the air with a back-and-forth motion, attracting fish to leap from the water to devour the tasty morsel. Voila! You have caught a fish!
I have the same problem when I'm out running or cycling. My mind starts to buzz with ideas, but as soon as I'm back home they have all vaporized, and I stare blankly at the computer screen, with my mind empty where just minutes ago it was gushing so poetically. I've also toyed with the idea of getting a dicta-phone to sort this problem out. Why you'd need voice recognition I can't imagine though. I'm so useless at following through, I did look at a few dicta-phones. You can get really cool little ones that are tiny and have loads of digital space for a few hours talking. Even my mobile phone can record, but I haven't even tried that! Maybe this will prompt me to try harder and report back.
Hello Mayfly, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
