#writing aids

[novella-november]

Okay, I've been playing around with the Voice to Text tool built into Windows computers as an accessibility option for those who struggle to physically write or type their works, and it's working pretty decently!

but the second half of this post time actually using voice to text tool. to type it. There's a few small spelling things, but I think there is a way to calibrate it to your speech. Though to be slightly more accurate. I'm just not sure where to find that, because I've only been fiddling with it for a few minutes. Right now, I had auto punctuate turned on and had turned off. Profanity Filter. I am using a pair of generic $10 Bluetooth headphones. They have a microphone belt into them. But if you have a dedicated microphone, that would probably work even better. you can download different language packages to recognize different whereas. in different languages you can type in more than just English. and I am hoping there is a way to add auto correct to certain names. In words so that I can say it how it's pronounced in a different language and have it be spelled correctly in English. such as for "Arsenal, Lupe". "Arsen Lu Pan". which as you can see voice access does not want to spell correctly. or will spell as just random words that sound like his name. LOL. As then, Lupin. Arsene Lupin. It wants me to pronounce his name as "are-sane Loopin" And even then, it does not get it correctly. Most of the time. anyways. So while it is not perfect, this is just like the base thing built into all windows computers. There's probably actual programs that let you train it on your voice that would be even better for dictating your novel, but this is an option anyone with a windows Computer should be able to access for free!

Back to typing by hand: if anyone has any tips, tricks, or guides for using Windows Voice Access for accurate dictation, please feel free to share here!

for those wondering, my favorite Public Domain character's name is spelled "Arsène Lupin" and is pronounced close to "arson" but with an "e" instead of an "o" -- Arsen -- and Lupin is pronounced Lou-pon, not loo-pin, hence why the English language voice access is having trouble parsing it lol.

If anyone knows of how to manually add corrected words and spelling to the Voice Access Dictionary, that would be great for anyone who plans on writing fantasy or scifi novels, or just anyone like me writing about ""our son blue pond"" as speech to text commonly spells it 😭

[lingeringmirth]

have started fucking around with speech to text... the results are mixed.

[murosakiiro]

Writing Aids 2022

In honor of NaNoWriMo starting tomorrow, I thought I would do another writing aids post, with all the new resources I use to help me write! Randomn Picker Wheel: Great for making decisions and they have all types of wheels, including letter and number wheels. https://pickerwheel.com/

Fantasy Name Generators: I will always live by this website, it is just so darn useful.  https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/

Yandex Translate: Technically you can use any translator if needed, but i like this one because it has some more obsure langauage. https://translate.yandex.com/

Height Comparison: I am a very visual person, and I am sometimes bad at understanding height differences. Having a visual reference really helps! https://www.heightcomparison.com/

Thesaurus.Com: Exactly what it sounds like XD https://www.thesaurus.com/

[this-is-lit]

What program do you use for writing?I have been using scrivener for years now, but I think I may be outgrowing it. The style is just a little old fashioned, with pixelblur more often than not, and for some reason it niw refuses to remember default settings, meaning I have to manually zoom in every page to be able to read it.I've been looking for alternatives and found novlr. It looks really nice, I love the evening colour scheme and focus mode. However, the layout style... Not a big fan.

My Mactop has a predictive text bar above the keyboard, so I actually write my first draft in a Tumblr text post because then I can use the predictive text bar, which allows me to write so much faster. Neither Word nor Google Docs seems compatible with the bar.

For a second drafts/proof/grammar edits I almost exclusively use Google docs. I’ve tried Grammarly and ProWritingAid, but more often than not, their suggestions were either flat out wrong or not conducive with creative writing, so I only have them to catch small proofing errors. I haven’t tried other ones.

[danelsonstuff]

Five Online Tools to Help You Plan Your Novel

Five Online Tools to Help You Plan Your Novel

Looking for software to help you plan and prepare your novel, see my latest article… https://dawnnelson-46858.medium.com/five-online-tools-to-help-you-plan-your-novel-982aed39a1dd?sk=bd80da180858b32f06bcdecb756104f2

[jprobinsonbooks]

Give your site a makeover

Every writer knows that more than half the battle is marketing your book(s). But many don’t realize that a good website is a powerful marketing ally.

Think of your website as a friend that shouts “read these books” to everyone within hearing distance 24/7. That’s dedication, right?

But you’ve got to keep your friend looking good—otherwise people aren’t going to pay attention. Or they…

[thepenmuse]

Aids Any Modern Freelance Writer Can Appreciate

Aids Any Modern Freelance Writer Can Appreciate

Pexels – CC0 License

  Freelance writingis an odd way to make a living. Note that we say it’s not inferior or superior to any other way, just different. You make your own hours, for one. Every word and sentence you write will be assessed based on your technical proficiency and creativity. It can also be that you have to dive into research topics you have no interest in, or those that you are…

[maureenlycaon]

For anyone who might find this useful for roleplay or writing. ;)

[fereality-indy]

It has arrived

Well thanks to those who have helped me out by buying me ko-fi I have been able to get my tablet. It's a Nextbook Ares 8a 16gb 8in with Windows 10.

It was factory reset and so far so good. Only problem I'm having is downloading the Tumblr app. It's coming up as installed on my phone and not even showing the tablet as an option. But I can use the site, I just prefer to have the mobile app option.

[grison-in-space]

*thoughtful* would it be helpful, I wonder, to collect a bunch of f/f recs to read and chew on and integrate into my headspace so I can adapt them to these personalities well? hrm. “really great f/f with plot-advancing sex?” (and for me, of course, ‘plot’ means ‘the emotional journey of the character’ in the context of fic, not so much the journey of actions within the story.) 

huh. maybe I will do that. anyone else vaguely interested?

[morethanthediagnosis]

Hoo boy. I haven't slept in 3 days so I’m running on fumes and coffee. I may be slightly delirious but here are my chapter outlines for the book I’m writing on Neurofibromatosis

❏ I ain't a teacher, but sit down son, because I'm about to learn you what the heck neurofibromatosis is ❏ People are assholes. This isn't an NF truth. It's just a truth, though when you have NF you will discover just how much of an asshole people can be ❏ Other Nf2ers are your biggest asset. It's not your doctors, not your friends, not even your family.  ❏ IVs anywhere in your foot hurt like a bitch. Nf2ers have get bad veins from being stabbed so much. Protect your as long as possible ❏ Tinnitus comes from the brain, not the ears, hence deaf people can "hear" it and it is very, very loud ❏ Doctors are not perfect and insurance isn't your friend. ❏ Being chronically I'll sucks and you are allowed to mourn for the life you could have had ❏ "But you were walking just fine a few hours ago!" and other things you get tired of explaining ❏ Nf2 may be a bitch, but sometimes you gotta pull on your big girl panties and deal with it. There is life after the diagnosis. A turtle reminded me of that ❏ If I could go back in time, I'd punch a doctor in the mouth. How dare you talk to my momma like that ❏ Shouting at a deaf person just makes you look dumb. And other Hearing blunders ❏ the internet is your hearing loss friend. The internet is great 

[lananiscorner]

Little something extra for those of you who have read “Compromised”.

Sometimes, when I’m creating important locations for a story from scratch, I will make quick sketches to help me memorize the layout and describe the place. This is what I drew up last night.

[visionary-scribbler]

eye descriptors.

[writersblockishell]

Troublesome Words

Here is a list of the words I have the most trouble with so I can keep them all in one place without having to go looking for them every time I come across them.

Its vs. It’s

In every other word, if it has an apostrophe, it means the next word belongs to it in some way.  With its and it’s, it is the opposite.

It’s is a conjunction for ‘it is’ or ‘it has’, while its means the next word belongs to it in some way.

It’s been horribly rainy all day. and Your idiot cat lost its favorite toy under the fridge again.

Who vs. Whose vs. Whom

While this site has a better description of everything, here it is in a nutshell:

Who did this?/Who is here? - Who is used when a person does an action or is described.  Who ate my last piece of pie? or Who is standing in that oddly shaded portion of this otherwise brightly lit forest?

Whose is this? - Whose is used when something belongs to someone.  Whose bed have your boots been under?

Whom is this going to happen too? - Whom is less common but is used when a person recieves an action.  Whom did he dump that entire keg of beer onto?  (Most people use Who in place of Whom these days).

Affect vs. Effect

This one is a little harder, because while affect and effect mean different things, ‘to have an effect on’ can also be a synonym for affect.  This site may explain it better.

Affect usually (USUALLY) means ‘to influence’.  The pop quiz affected her mood for the rest of the day.  For the most part, if you can replace with ‘affect’ with ‘have an effect on’, it’ll probably work.  The pop quiz had an effect on her mood for the rest of the day.

Effect means ‘a result’.  The concert last night was loud and had a horrible effect on his hearing the next day.

Also, ‘affect’ is usually a verb, while ‘effect’ is usually a known.

[byebyefriends]

My story “Enduring” has a pinterest board with some of my personal ideas of how things look.  Chapter 2 is on its way!