Have you ever tested a different method for jotting down ideas? Or tried to write using a different medium? 

The other day, as I was folding clothes (when all the best ideas come to you, naturally), I got an idea for a story. It came with scenes, dialogue, and characters. The story began to play out like a movie in my head with every detail filled in. Sounds great, right? Except for the fact that I was folding clothes. I didn’t have time to stop and write down all the info bombarding my brain. Yet, if I didn’t get down everything I was thinking, I knew I wouldn’t remember it by the time I was able to write it all down. And, anyway, it would still take too long to capture all the details, even if I could miraculously recall them all. 

As much as I love writing—the physical act of putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard—it’s not always the best and most efficient way to write. Might sound silly, but it’s true! With all the technology available to us nowadays, there are tons of tools at our disposal that can help fill this gap. The other night, I was able to keep folding clothes and get down my story ideas at the same time. How?

I whipped out my phone and started an audio recording. Just like that, I could record scene by scene, detail by detail, without ever lifting a finger to write. At the end of fifteen minutes, my idea was recorded and my brain was free to think of other things. 

Making use of audio recordings is a game changer for creative endeavours. In my situation, and many others, recording yourself will save time and increase the quality of your stories. If I need to capture a quick thought before it flees, I always record myself. I can talk quicker than I can write, and the thoughts are more unfiltered—which is a good thing when trying to capture my original intent for a story. 

If this all sounds weird to you, just hear me out. In the time we have together, I’m going to break down the specifics of how to best use audio recordings to enhance your writing process. So put your listening ears on, and let’s dive in!

Why Audio Works for Writing

I’ve already given you a few reasons: it’s quicker than writing, you can record while doing something else, and your thoughts are often more authentic than when you put them in writing. But here are a few more: 

• When you listen back to the recording, hearing the details like your tone of voice or background noises can further inspire the idea as you begin writing. 
• Using a different medium shakes things up in your routine and requires the use of different senses; this can increase focus, drive, and creativity. 
• It’s important to hone your speaking skills, even as a writer, and practising putting your thoughts into words for your future self is a great way to start.

How to Incorporate Audio into Your Writing Process 

There are many ways to make good use of audio as a writer: 

Ideation/Brainstorming: ramble to yourself until you stumble on an idea. In this case, it’s good to think out loud!

Record quick thoughts: if you have a fleeting idea you don’t want to miss, pull out your phone and record it; it’s often easier and more authentic than trying to write it down

Editing to-do list: start a recording as you read through your rough draft and record your thoughts and reactions. You’ll likely be more detailed since you don’t physically have to write the words down, and this can help you better target and prioritise editing tasks. (Yes, this can turn into a long recording, but many voice recorders now have an option where it will skip chunks of silence. You can also do this in multiple recordings) 

Remember an idea: as I did in my situation, you can detail a story idea before you forget it 

Directly narrating a story: some people can narrate a story exactly as it would be told on paper. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worth a try, even if you only do it occasionally. It gives your hands a rest and presents a nice challenge 

Tools to Use for Audio Recordings

Obviously, to use audio to its full extent, you need some technology. Luckily, a lot of it is free!

Phone: if you aren’t familiar with your recording app, it’s time to dust it off and learn how it works! Many phones have a default voice recording app, but you can also try Google Recorder, Easy Voice Recorder (Android), or any other highly rated apps you can find. Remember, you’re not recording professionally, so you don’t need super high quality with all the bells and whistles. You shouldn’t be paying for anything here (unless you need high-quality audio for something else you do)

Voice-to-text software: technically, you can use voice to text on your messaging app on your phone, but this isn’t the best for longer recordings. Many word processors like Word and Pages can do voice to text, and it’s pretty decent. You might find that manual transcription is best for you. However, if you often narrate whole books at a time, you might find it’s worth it to invest in some kind of software or service for transcription

A physical recorder: if you record often enough, you might consider getting a device that’s just used for recording, especially if using your phone distracts you

Grammar checking software: when transcribing from voice to text, minuscule editing/proofreading errors are often more prevalent. You might not pick these things up when editing written content later, so it’s a good idea to have a reliable grammar checker to run it through

How to Turn Audio into Written Word

Here’s where we get down to it. Wondering just how this whole audio to text thing works? Here’s the process, step by step, after you make your audio recording. 

1. If you can, slightly slow down the recording 

2. Listen to the recording, but remember that getting every single word isn’t necessary. Capture the general idea and important details. 

3. Don’t forget to emphasise emotion that you hear in your voice or other background details in the recording (you can either do this in comments, with italics, etc.)

4. Pause the recording when needed to catch up with your notes

5. Once you’ve gotten down the general idea, flesh out what you’ve written while the recording is still fresh in your mind 

6. Continue editing the text using your normal editing process (if the recording is mainly brainstorming, you’ll need to edit it far less than you will if it’s something like a word for word scene in your book)

7. Don’t forget to run the text through a grammar checker to catch the small mistakes

You may have to go through some extra steps to write down and edit your recorded notes, but overall, this really will save you time and allow you to record more authentic thoughts!

Give Audio a Chance 

Audio can transform and revolutionise your writing flow. It might take some time to adjust to the process, but once you do, you’ll see how it can capture your thoughts more accurately and make ideation more efficient.

Have you ever used audio recordings in your writing process? What’s been your experience with them? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy writing!
—E.J.

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