Blogging Made Easy…Dragon Naturally Speaking

Using Dragon to blog

Using Dragon to blog

I enjoy talking, someone might say I enjoy it too much. Therefore, when a friend gave me the Dragon Naturally Speaking  program over ten years ago, I was overjoyed.

Rheumatoid arthritis has twisted and curled my fingers, typing is difficult. I use the eraser end of a pencil causing me to use the “hunt and peck” method.

With Dragon Naturally Speaking , speech recognition software, you talk into a microphone attached to your computer the words are transcribed onto the page.

On first opening the program, you are guided through the setup of a personal voice profile. However, after saving the profile, anytime you log on, you can start talking and Dragon responds.

Although there is a quick setup option, I discovered that if you use use the long setup the program recognizes your words more accurately and there is less “training” when you use it again.

Creating documents isn’t the only thing Dragon can do. I can also surf the Internet, open files and applications—anything I need to do on a computer can be preformed with the Dragon Naturally Speaking software.

If you are a writer, student, or someone who uses the computer a lot, Dragon Naturally Speaking can make all your task easier.

Have you used this voice recognition programs? Or, is there another program you prefer? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Just leave a comment in the form below.

Innocent Comments can Change Lives

I am a writer.

I am an author.

It doesn’t matter which title you give me, I’m excited to be in either category. Frankly, I never dreamed I’d be writing stories and books as a career. Although, I have always enjoyed reading, I would occasionally try my hand at creating a short poem, or a snippet of a scene for a story. My passion has always been painting. I enjoy taming the wild properties of watercolors: mixing colors without them getting ‟muddy,” controlling the drips of too wet paint, and developing light or dark areas where I want on the picture.

So, how did I become a writer? From an innocent comment in an email.
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Pain (poem)

I’ve been struggling with a lot of RA pain lately because of not being able to take my Enbrel shot for the last four weeks. I’ve had some sores that wouldn’t heal and needed targeted care from the wound clinic. Enbrel suppresses the immune system and can slow down the healing process. I wrote the following poem a few months ago, reading it again helped me put my current situation in prospective.

Some of you may remember reading it on another blog, but I thought it might be time to repost it for my new readers. (Besides, that blog no longer exists.
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The E-Fairies are working overtime…and it isn’t good!

What a week I’ve had! Those pesky e-fairies have been messing with me. One after another something went wrong with my computer: I had accounts closed, accounts threatened to be blocked, and several contacts’ emails just disappeared into cyberspace! What did I do? I took a deep breath, calmed myself down and started repairing the “damage.”
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Love and Loss

I’ve thought a lot about life and loss lately. In January, a wonderful woman was taken from us. She lived a full life…94 years. Although I only knew her for the last four and a half years, that time will always be precious to me. I came to love her like a mother.

Memories of the loss of another person I loved came to mind and I wanted to share it with you. This is the story of a friendship I developed in 1996.
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Busy, busy, busy!

I haven’t forgotten about you. I’ve been busy assembling the third Curly Wolf book for my fiancĂ©, Greg Laws.

Curly Wolf is a charming comic strip featuring a young boy who goes on imaginative adventures with his dog, Winston, and best friend, Binky.
We want to get the book ready to sell by Christmas, as it is a great gift for all ages.

Needless to say, I haven’t worked much on my book, either. I am filling in paragraphs of a very rough outline (I’ve never been good out developing outlines) and so, still in the first draft stage.

Stay with me and if you have comments, please share them.

Oh, and please check out Greg’s site and book.

My Grandma, “Amazing Grace”

My grandma, Grace, was small in stature, but big in spirit. Under 5 foot tall, she was a force of great intensity. She controlled her family firmly with love and a deep faith. She made everyone feel valued.

Amazing Grace is her story. I expanded my post, An Amazing Woman, from June of this year.to show more of her influence in my life. I hope you enjoy it.

Do you have a memorable person in your life? I’d love to hear about him/her.