I was in a little car mishap about 14 months ago. Tendon and ligaments were torn in my right wrist. The doctor and I have tried everything to keep me typing…with no success. Surgery is tomorrow. 6 weeks in a cast from my fingertips to almost up to my shoulder. What’s a girl to do who’s a writer/editor/publisher/book reviewer? Maybe lots of time to read! Type reviews one-handed? I CAN DO THAT!
I purchased the DRAGON software/speech-to-text last year when I originally hurt my wrist, but since I could still type, albeit painfully, I never set it up completely. NOW I HAVE TO DO IT!
I’ll try to update with reports on the DRAGON for those of you out there interested in it. I actually think it could be a good editing tool. As I written about many times before…you can’t edit or proofread your own copy, no matter how good you are at spotting errors. If you wrote it…if you typed it…it’s engrained in your gray matter. When you try to proofread or edit, your brain automatically reads over the typos and errors. Your physical organ, the brain, sees what it thinks is there, not necessarily what is there.
WITH THE DRAGON, you’ll be using a completely different set of senses. You’ll be speaking. The more senses you can use to learn something or remember something (seeing, hearing, touching through typing), the more thoroughly you retain the information, which can be great if you want to memorize something, but not so much if you want to proofread or edit like it’s the first time you’ve seen the material. So, that said, tell stories or relate nonfiction to your heart’s content to get your initial ideas on screen with DRAGON. Then, look at it for your initial edit and rewrite. It will be fresh, new, and not all bogged up in your brain. It may look terrible for the first go-round, but that in itself can inspire your brain to see where it needs work.
I’ve learned much of this through trial-and-error, but just for those who need credentials, I have a master’s equivalent in Writing/Editing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School (back when I went, it wasn’t counted as college credit as it is now) with a minor in Psychology and accredited ACPH–Advanced Clinical Psychological Hypnotherapist. Believe it or not, my hypnotherapy classes from the National Guild of Hypnotists is where I learned most of the brain retention/learning information. I specialized in ADHD teenagers. Please refer back to some of my previous blogs on editing and proofreading if this fascinating subject interests you.
I hope to stay in touch with everyone, and thank you all for checking out my blog.
DEBORAH A. BOWMAN
BowmanAuthor and Writer/Editor 
Deb, excellent info on Dragon. Funny, I just replied to your message and suggested Dragon. 🙂 I was chatting with another author friend and she has terrible fibromya…. (however your spell it, lol), she uses Dragon for years. She said the learning curve is learning to speak your words so that Dragon recognizes proper spelling by pronounciation. I have visions of major revisions after first draft because of miscommunication. . . sort of like texting on a phone with auto correct. Seriously, how many messages have we sent and not proofread and you look back at them and there are words that don’t even make sense. LOLOL. Feel better! xoxo
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What’s a few typos among friends? I think the speaking software could break the brain/eye challenge and make for a more accurate first edit. It will look “new” to the eye and brain. I’ve tested it before, and it works rather well for me…accents and dialects can really throw it off. I think since I’m a singer and did some minor acting eons ago, I articulate strongly and am a stickler for correct punctuation. We’ll see.
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Omg, every time you tell me something else that I also did. We certainly have lived parallel lives. I can’t wait to share more between us ‘twins’. xo
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Has your wrist tottaly healed?Hope you feel better and dont have any pain.
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Thanks for your kind sentiment. Still in a cast until end of third week of October…than PT. Using part DRAGON software and one-hand typing. I finished my major editing projects so writing some fiction for me. I feel much less guilt and stress if I’m not holding another author up.
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I broke my wrist 6 weeks ago.2 weeks ago I had the apointment with the doctor.He cut the first cast,took xrays and then put a different cast on my wrist.Did your doctor cut the first cast and then put you a different cast?Take care.
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I was in the stylish purple cast for 3 weeks after surgery. I was supposed to go into a second cast, but I had to have another operation for a cancer biopsy just 4 weeks after the wrist surgery, so instead of a cast I went into a custom fitted brace, which I would have ideally gone into at the end of October. I guess during surgery the extremities can retain fluid, and the cast could cut off circulation.The wrist was fractured and had an indented break in the wrist joint, but that healed much quicker than the torn tendon and ligament, which didn’t heal at all. It depends on where the break or torn ligament is located. Wrists are really tricky, I have learned. I’ll be tied up in physical therapy for months, I guess. Don’t worry that your wrist isn’t healing. It’s a long process. My heart goes out to you. It is a painful, long involved process, and casts are the pits! lol
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Thank you for your nice words.They give me courage.I agree that casts are the pits.The first 4 weeks I had to wear a heavy plaster with a sling going up to my elbow.Then at the appointment the doctor told me to choose a colour for my cast.I chose a light green cast so that I could decorate it.Did anybody sign your cast or did you decorate it?Your blog is excellent and i love it.Best wishes and take care.
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Hope you’re feeling better Deborah, I just thought I would check on your progress with Dragon and your wrist. Have you had time to use it? If so what do you think? Take care of yourself and be patient. These kinds of things take time to heal.. Hugs!
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Annie,
Thanks for the well wishes. I’ve been using the DRAGON software, and I think I’m getting the hang of it. Some days are better than others, but it seems to be getting better at following me. I may not be ready to dictate a novel yet, but I can answer emails and post blogs. That’s enough for now.
Deborah
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