Want to write articles really fast? Speak them, don't write them!!

India
December 11, 2008 11:47pm CST
Ok, let me tell you the entire story. I recently became a member of ezinearticles dot com. I submitted an article there with a link back to my blog. The idea was to get more people to visit my blog. Anyway, I am glad I joined ezinearticles because they send me loads of tips on how to write articles. I don't know if I can follow all these tips, but they sure are interesting. I would like to share one of those tips with you. How do you write articles really fast? Say, around 10 - 20 articles per hour? Ezine says it is easy if you speak your articles, not write them. 1. Fix a mic to your system...and give a nice, long 60-minute speech on the subject of your expertise. 2. Save your work as an MP3 file and dash it off to a transcription service. 3. Now have a good look at the transcription. You can easily slice up that big block of speech into at least 10-20 articles of 300-500 words each. Do you feel breathless? I thought about this for a long time, and this is what I feel. I daresay this technique might work for some, but I wonder if it will work for all. Of course, people do speak faster than they write. But writing is a different art altogether. The written word is different. The creative juices flow faster when you write. Your writing is much more clearer and organized than your speech. And slicing up that big block of speech into 10 good articles can really take up a lot of time!!! What do you think, writers?
4 people like this
11 responses
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
13 Dec 08
Just yesterday I received a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 which I ordered from Amazon. To pay for it, I used part of a £100 Amazon Gift Voucher which I won on one of the survey sites that I use. I intend to install it today and begin to learn how to use it (it apparently takes about 15 minutes of training to get it to recognise one's voice and accent and then it can become 99% accurate). I don't know how much a transcription service would cost but I believe that, since I paid £64 (around $95) for it, it could save me time and, eventually, money. Speaking as one would wish to write is an art that can be learned, I believe, though it is quite different from writing or typing. I may start by writing in a notebook I can carry with me and then transcribe what I have written when I get home (and when it is quiet). I may try answering questions on MyLot, where, I believe, I write pretty much as I speak. My aim in buying DNS was certainly to make it easier and quicker to write articles and blogs with a view to making money online. I don't know yet how successful it will be!
1 person likes this
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
13 Dec 08
Now I have read through the other responses. Every single one so far has said that they would find it difficult or impractical to 'speak as one writes', yet there are plenty of people who do this every day when dictating to a secretary or when giving off the cuff speeches (maybe with just a few notes to guide them). I agree that 'dictation technique' is something that most people have to consciously learn but, since I am already 'speaking' (in my head) as I write, having been trained to read what I have written out loud, I feel that it should be possible - and worthwhile - to master it.
1 person likes this
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
That's really interesting! Do keep us posted about progress! It sure is a great idea to use it for Mylotting! :) Thanks a lot for the response.
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
I believe you are right! One can always master something. :) I believe with practice, you can learn to "speak" your articles. However, the transcription service is still costly, and you should be able to make sufficient profits from your articles. Cheers and happy mylotting
iskayz
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
12 Dec 08
Hi there! I don't know if it will work for me. Especially the tip about hiring a transcriptionist. All I know is that I should be in the mood so I can write an article. I think its a common experience for everyone. Inspiration is also essential if you're a blogger. Reading a lot could also help. Happy Holidays!
1 person likes this
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
You are absolutely right. Moreover, hiring a transcription service costs a lot of money. Thanks for the response. :)
4mymak
@4mymak (1793)
• Malaysia
15 Dec 08
that is really interesting tip.. i dont write.. apart from my usual work reports and the responses to discussions here at myLot, but i do think the tip is a good one.. at times, we do have this 'train of thoughts', and i for one, maynot be able to write it all down very fast, or not be in a position to write it all down.. so i think 'voicing them out' and recording them is a good way to 'capture the thought'.. and when you listen back, and type them out the same as you spoke.. you might even improvise, or add-on more things to it..
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
15 Dec 08
You certainly have a point there. :) Thanks for the response.
Ruth Belena
@paid2write (5201)
•
12 Dec 08
It really would not work for me. I'm a writer not a speaker. When I speak I hesitate, repeat myself, lose my thread and am generally bad at communicating what I mean. I can write as fast as some people speak. The words flow out of me onto the screen or onto paper. I can write in a continuous stream as I always revise, edit and improve what I write before I submit it. This may work well for some people, but I have seen articles that are full of figures of speech and colloquial language and, to me, that does not look good in type. It can cause confusion too. Not all nationalities use the English language in the same way. As a British person I sometimes read American expressions I'm not familiar with, and if I were to write using some British expressions, the meaning may not be understood outside the UK.
1 person likes this
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
You are absolutely right! A "spoken" article would be too colloquial to be called really "valuable." Thanks for the response. :)
silverjam
@silverjam (969)
• United States
12 Dec 08
I agree w/ your last statements, writing is easier than making speech and the time you do for editing those stuff you did for your speech takes a lot of time. I believe I can express more of my ideas in writing than in speech. I just don't understand it but ideas just pooped out and flow thouroughly when I write than when I say them. And one thing, you can erase errors when you write but you cannot take back your words when you say them. I guess your suggestions just don't work for me
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
You are absolutely right! Creative ideas flow better when one's mouth is closed, in other words, when one writes. :) Thanks for the response
rosdimy
@rosdimy (3926)
• Malaysia
12 Dec 08
I do not think it is going to work well for me. I do not always write using a computer. If I want to follow the suggestion I will have to carry a voice recorder everywhere I go. Handling notebooks is generally easier. When I write more ideas usually come to mind. It is easier to modify whatever has been written, or to correct mistakes. Sending a recorded speech for transcription may not be a good idea because the person doing it may misunderstand my speech. So it is written work for me. all the best, rosdimy
1 person likes this
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
Hehehe...that's another great disadvantage of this technique. You are right! Thanks for the response. :)
winterose
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
12 Dec 08
I think that is a great idea but I need to write to have more organized thought, so it would not really work for me,
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
You are right, winterose!
unusualsuspect
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
12 Dec 08
Using a microphone or speech software will certainly speed up your writing, but that doesn't mean your articles will be worth reading. There's no way that any writer can churn out well-written, valuable content at that rate. Good writing takes thought and sometimes research, as well as speed. If you want to be paid well for your work, you have to be able to put some originality into it, and find angles that haven't been done thousands of times already on that subject. And just a note about ezine and similar directories. A few good articles may bring some readers to your blogs, but don't invest too much time there. Plagiarists love those directories because they're such a great source for stuff they can rip off. And I'm not just theorizing. I've tracked down dozens of articles that were stolen from directories. One person on Associated Content had over a thousand articles that they had copied and pasted from directories.
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
LOL!! You are right!! And I will tell you a well known "secret." I was hired by an Internet marketer to create unique content out of ezine articles!! I had to rewrite them, feed the articles into the DupeProFree software, and check for duplicate content. I had to rework duplicate portions to make them unique! I noticed that most Internet marketers use this trick...rewriting the same old stuff over and over again. Ezine is full of such "copied" stuff! Thousands of articles saying the same things in a thousand different ways. Ezinearticles dot com can be used only for article marketing--to increase traffic, build lists, and boost sales. It is not meant for serious, creative writers. ;) Cheers and happy mylotting
Pose123
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
12 Dec 08
Hi positiveminded, You are right, this technique will not work for everyone. I have done some public speaking and have come to enjoy it, but I think I would still prefer to write articles. Writing is very different and one can make changes if not satisfied with your original thought. Blessings.
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
I agree with you Pose. Speaking is not the same as writing. Thanks for the response. :)
tamarafireheart
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
12 Dec 08
Hi positiveminded, If I write something, I have to take my time to get it right but I can't speak it, I write and rewrite it, but I'm so not very good at it, but if you are a writer you know best how to do that. Tamara
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
Yup...I understand! I do take a lot of time to polish a good article. :) Thanks for the response.
mokbul
@mokbul (616)
• Singapore
12 Dec 08
It might work for some but not for all. Probably will not work for me. I am writing to helium and associated content. I don't think that my writing is fast or very good quality. May be I am not correct because the good speaker is not always a good writer. Somebody else write for them by taking the ideas that was spoken. It was rather writer's skill than speaker's skill. Normally I write down the points or ideas on about which I am going to write. Then I try to learn more about the topic that I am going to write. It takes up lots of time.
positiveminded1977
@positiveminded1977 (7072)
• India
13 Dec 08
You are right! Writing a really good, high-quality article is time consuming. Moreover, it is a great work of art. Not as simple as speaking! Thanks for your response. :)