Why you need writing to be easy and fun:
The problem is that most people write like they write, not like they talk. This leads to wordy prose that conveys much information and little feeling. And when you sit at the keyboard, the blank page can be daunting, and lead to procrastination. One of the things I’m constantly reminding people about is the importance of creating content on a regular basis. And whether you’re building the foundation for a body of work or simply writing effective emails—getting your point across and engaging with your reader is important.
What’s the easy way to get good writing?
Simple. Speak it. My advice to folks is always to read whatever you write out loud, and see if it sounds the way you normally talk. With today’s technology, most of you have enough computing power in your hand to dictate into your digital assistant and watch the words magically appear on your computer screens, ready for editing.
How to use Siri on an iPhone (or Google Now for Android) to write copy.
[Method #1 – if you have Google Docs already]
- Install the ‘Docs’ app from Google on your phone.
- Open your document or text worksheet in Google Docs.
- Speak your text into Siri by pressing the little microphone by the space bar.
- With low background noise and wifi or a strong signal you should be able to quickly dictate a sentence at a time.
- If you do it at your desk you can watch the text appear in real time on your computer, where it is far easier to edit, cut/paste, etc.
[Method #2 – email draft workaround]
- Open your phone’s email application.
- select > new > and address a draft to yourself.
- Speak your text into Siri by pressing the little microphone by the space bar.
- With low background noise and wifi or a strong cell signal you should be able to quickly dictate a sentence at a time.
- You will save the draft, and then open on your computer for final edits.
Action Step:
Try having some fun by writing in a different voice or stance than usual, such as in the third person about yourself. Or dictate a first person story and then switch all the ‘I’s to ‘you’s in the edit to make an experiential piece out of it. The whole point of the exercise, and the value in developing facility with this practice, is to open up the abundance of your language so you can have fun with it and create more meaning in the world.
With a little practice you will find that a highly inspired blog post or newsletter article can be roughed out in an incredibly short time. The trick is to avoid editing or correcting as much as possible when you are doing the dictation on the phone. Just repeat your words, or type in the spelling if you have to, but ignore the autocorrects and typos that inevitably appear. As long as you know the gist of it, you’ll be able to clean it up on your desk or laptop quickly.