One problem I face as a writer is that my hands cannot keep up with my brain. This is one of the biggest limiting factors for me when it comes to wordcount. Over the years I've tried many different methods of talk-to-text, but I've never really been satisfied with it. I've always ended up spending more time correcting than I have actually writing, but times have changed.
With improvements in AI technology, I decided to give dictation another shot. I’ll admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I've been using the Dictate function in Word for a while now and I’ve been fairly impressed. The learning curve was not as steep as I had anticipated.
Typing by dictation has become available in a variety of different software packages now. For that reason, I won't go into specific commands, as they vary from one program to another. Instead, I'll talk about some of the things I've learned so far and share some pointers that might help you along your journey as you delve into this improved writing tool.
Basic Commands
While specific commands may vary from one program to the next, there are similarities. Many of the core commands are intuitive. Things like adding punctuation and starting new paragraphs are fairly straightforward. When you reach a point in a sentence where you would like to insert punctuation, simply say the word and the software will usually get it correct.
If you're using the dictate function in Word, then there is also a setting for automatic punctuation. While it does a very good job, there are a few exceptions. I found that if I pause too long between words, the software likes to add a period. I tend not to use this function as I like to have more control and simply speak the punctuation where I would like it to appear.
Familiarize yourself with the specific commands of the software you are using and practice using those commands in a few test documents before moving on to your real work. It won't take long to get familiar with things. The editing functions can be trickier. They take a little more practice than the basic punctuation commands, but with time you’ll get it.
Develop Your Flow
If you really want dictation software to help you increase your word count, then you need to develop a flow. This has been one of the hardest parts for me. I went from my hands not being able to keep up with my brain, to my brain not being able to keep up with my mouth.
Developing a flow when you're dictating really comes down to a couple of things. First off, you need to be prepared. You need to know where you're going if you're going to speak clearly and smoothly. This means making notes and having them in front of you or thinking your scene through completely before you start speaking. My pantser brain really hates this part, but it's necessary.
The second thing, which is also difficult for me, is to turn off your internal editor. You're going to make mistakes as you dictate just as you would when you type. You need to learn to ignore them until you go back to do your edit. The software will sometimes use the wrong word especially when it's one that can have multiple spellings for the same pronunciation. If you want to develop flow, you need to just keep going.
The only way that you will ever develop a good clean flow that will give you higher word counts is practice. Get to know the software, get to know the commands, and get to know how your own brain works. With practice you will eventually find your flow.
Tell Yourself the Story
Now that you've learned the commands and got some practice, it's time for the next step. It's time to write using this new tool. According to author Terry Pratchett, “The first draft is just telling yourself the story.” That's exactly how you should think of this process.
The best way to get started with this newly improved technology is to sit down and just start telling the story. Don't worry about structure or how it comes out. This is just the first draft; it's supposed to be rough. The whole reason for a first draft is to get the ideas out of your brain and into the real world. Think of it as digging out the clay. Editing is where you will shape it into the work of art it's meant to be.
Final Thoughts
As with learning anything new, it all comes down to practice. I can't stress that enough. That's why I have mentioned it several times in this article. It's one thing to know how to do something but something completely different to put it into practice. Learn the commands, build your flow, and this newly improved technology will become a tool you use every day in your writing.
About Bob
Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.
When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking, and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives).
His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. He can be found on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.
In this last in the series, we have Situational comedy—the sitcom—referring to comedic situations that are inescapable, awkward, and generally lighthearted. Look for Part1 on Physical Comedy/Slapstick and Part 2 on Verbal Comedy.
Sitcoms include a series of events meant to make readers or viewers laugh. The characters in sitcoms are often forced to deal with a weird situation that challenges their relationships and sometimes their understanding of the world, all while keeping the story’s tone light.
This type of comedy is usually used in television shows. However, there are novels that wield situational comedy too.
A Brief History of Situational Comedy
Radio and Television
The earliest situational comedies were radio programs. Beginning in the 1920s “song and patter” comedy routines were popular. Radio actors told jokes interspersed with music—some of the instruments were most unusual. Here’s an example from the 1930s.
Musical comedies began much earlier—ancient Greece and Rome. We’ve always needed a good laugh!
A radio program from the 1920s named The Amos ‘n Andy Show, was launched as a TV show in the 1950s. This program was modeled after a minstrel show, therefore based on racial stereotypes. Shortly after the program aired, protests were launched because of the negative stereotypes. The show was cancelled a few years later but remained in syndication until the mid-60s.
TheFibber McGee and Molly program originated when husband-and-wife vaudevillians Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns began their third year as Chicago-area radio performers. Two of the shows they did for station WENR (WLS AM radio) beginning in 1927, both written by Harry Lawrence, bore traces of situational comedy.
Mary Kay and Johnny went on to perform the first sitcom to be broadcast on national TV in the United States in the 1940s—Mary Kay and Johnny.
Some of the situational comedies from the 1950s are still watched today. TheI Love Lucyshow, groundbreaking in many ways, is considered one of the best situational comedies of all time. Here’s a colorized version of Lucy and Ethel at the Chocolate Factory.
How to Write a Sitcom
Research
Real stories come from real voices and places. Finding the truth in your subject is a big part of writing comedy.
Structure
Plan your backstory, your characters’ histories and their personalities, and plot points in advance. This will save you time and aggravation as you develop your stories. The pantser in me squirms at this, but planning makes a difference.
Characterization
The story has to matter to the main character, or it won’t matter to the readers. The plot must be important to the protagonist.
Plot Twist
Remember watching a show or reading a story and figuring out what happens next? Wasn’t that irritating? Creating surprising twists isn't easy, but those plot twists keep the readers hooked.
Think of several ways a situation could play out. Your mind will wander to places it didn't know existed. You'll be amazed by what you've invented. It’s a process. Surprise yourself and you'll surprise your readers.
Take a Break
Step away from your desk if you are stuck and can’t think. Staring at your screen won’t help and can make things worse. The physical act of leaving your desk, removing yourself from the current dilemma (this works for more than writing), and doing something else like going for a walk or petting the fur babies often sets your conscious mind at ease and helps you solve the problem. Naps work too!
The process of taking a break and doing something completely different, preferably mindless, is great for rebooting the brain.
Situational Comedy in Literature
Examples
Throughout literature, there are many examples of situational humor that leave readers laughing.
This form of humor is often based on perspective like in this example fromThe Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler.
“Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!”
When described properly, a situation can be hilarious. Real or imaginary, it’s just funny.
In How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, the novel weaves science fiction with situational comedy. The main character, Charles Yu, is a time travel tech. He spends much of the story trying to figure out where his father—the inventor of time travel—disappeared.
“Sometimes when I’m brushing my teeth, I’ll look at the mirror and I swear my reflection seems kind of disappointed. I realized a couple of years ago that not only am I not super-skilled at anything, I’m not even particularly good at being myself.”
Final thoughts
A situational comedy is supposed to be funny. That doesn’t mean your story should be full of jokes. Your goal is to create a world filled with interesting, distinct, and flawed characters. Each of whom have a clear point of view of the world. Have your characters react off each other in humorous, but truthful ways.
Why do you think that truth is important in situational comedy? Do you have a favorite sitcom? What makes for a good situational humor?
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About Ellen
Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.
No matter whether you’ve written your story strictly following your outline or you’ve discovered your story as you wrote, the rough draft usually will benefit from some judicious editing. You probably finish your first draft in a blaze of glory. It’s done! You feel great…for a few hours or maybe days. Then the questions and doubts surface. That euphoria melts into a puddle of “this is the worst!” Despair leads to desperation and you leap into editing. But if you’re editing without a plan, your second draft will differ from the rough draft, but may not improve. Systematic editing helps you see the shape that’s hiding in that mess of words. In every book-block of text there is a story (apologies to Michel Angelo who actually said...
Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
Michel Angelo
First, a word of caution. Not everyone’s system should be the same. Why? Because our stories are different, our brains are different, and our writing styles are different. All the layers mentioned in this article are important, but their value to you and your story will depend upon your writing experience and knowledge, your story’s genre, your style, and your readership. With those in mind, take this list of layers and mix and match it.
Prepare
Congratulations, you finished your rough draft. That’s huge. Most likely you are euphoric or you’re tired of the whole thing and ready to chuck the mess into the trash can. Either of those mindsets are not ideal for looking at your manuscript with any objectivity.
You need to be as objective as humanly possible to get the best self-editing job done. So take a break. Take as long of a break as your deadlines and other responsibilities will allow. During your break, get your materials and working area ready for the evaluation and editing phases.
Put Your Life in Order
Okay, not really, but you need to have long stretches of uninterrupted time. Some people need to go to a hotel, a library, or a cofee shop to get that time. Do what works for you.
You'll also need notebook or computer file for notes, a large stack of self-stick notes or index cards, ink pens or pencils, and a set of colored pencils, pens, markers or highlighters.
You’ll need a few more things. If you wrote a story blurb or paragraph or sentence to guide you as you wrote, print that out so it’s available. Next, you’ll need a copy of your manuscript.
Physical Copy vs Electronic
Multiple studies have shown that most people scan electronic information. All electronic information. And most of the time, that’s good enough. It’s not good enough when you’re self-editing. So unless you are one of the rare breed who can read word for word on the electronic screen, print out your manuscript. Print it with a different or larger font than you’ve worked in until now. (This will help your brain see it as something different.) Put it in a box or a binder or have enough space to put it on a desktop.
Your Workspace
Set up your workspace with these tools but also set up the mood. If you need silence, find the quiet spot. If you prefer music, select two to four pieces of music that you can stand to listen to on endless repeat and will help you concentrate. Likewise, get your snacks and beverages sorted out. The idea is to prepare your space well enough that you have to minimal interruptions.
Once your manuscript has cooled, and you’ve prepared your workspace, you’re ready to read.
Read the Manuscript as a Reader
Reading your story as a reader means read it taking no notes. You’ll be tempted to edit. At the most, highlight or circle the offending word(s) but do not edit. Just don’t. Even the addition of a comma may be enough to flip your brain from reader to editor. For the first read-through, you want to get the feel of your story. So put on your “I’m a reader” hat and read.
Having your computer or another person read the story to you is an acceptable alternative. In fact, for some of us, that might be the ideal situation. That way, we only hear what is on the page and not what is in our head or what we thought we put on the page.
First Impressions
After reading the entire thing, ask yourself how what you read aligns with the story you wanted to tell when you started. Write a paragraph or two about how it fits, or doesn’t fit, with the story you envisioned. Just big picture types of thoughts. The nitty-gritty doesn’t matter until the primary parts are what you want.
The Structure Layer
No matter what plot structure or genre you use, the structure of a story is its foundation. Take your story apart. Again, start with the biggest piece first.
You might find it helpful to physically divide the manuscript pages into fourths. For each section, ask yourself questions specific to the structure of that section. For example:
The First Quarter—The Beginning
What is the hook? Could it be stronger?
Did you put ground underneath your character’s feet? Hint: Read more about this in the post, "Put Ground Beneath Their Feet."
Does the beginning pose a question? Does it promise tension and problems (tension) to come?
What is the mood and tone of the beginning? Does the setting enhance that? Does it match or foreshadow the ending mood and tone? Hint: Your mood and tone are part of your promise to your reader. Make certain you deliver what you promised.
How many characters does the reader meet? Could you reduce the number of characters? Hint: the fewer the characters introduced in the first pages, the more the reader focuses on the protagonist.
Are there sections with more than one or two paragraphs of backstory per chapter? Hint: Feed your reader only what she must know at this point.
Does each chapter end with a hook?
What is the problem that puts the protagonist in a position where she cannot go back to her before life?
Did the protagonist decide or did someone else? Hint: Having someone else decide weakens your reader’s investment in the protagonist.
The Second Quarter—The Rising Action
What does your protagonist do? Are there easier choices she could have made? Why didn’t she? Hint: Don’t be guilty of having the kids split up when they know a serial killer is in the house. (Or it’s equivalent in your story.)
How does the antagonist thwart the protagonist at her every turn?
Do the actions of the antagonist make your protagonist suffer? Could the antagonist make it harder or hurt your protagonist more? Why doesn’t she?
Does the protagonist and/or her desired outcome appear to be in more and more jeopardy with her every attempt to solve her problem? Is there some change that would increase the tension?
What does the protagonist or reader learn on each page?
How does the protagonist’s understanding of or method of attacking the problem change at the end of this quarter? Hint: This is the mid-point reversal.
The Third Quarter - The Failures Start
Is the action on the page? What did you leave off the page?
Does it seem like failure is inevitable right until the very end?
Does the reader’s tension build to an almost unbearable degree?
The Fourth Quarter—The Final Act
Do the protagonist and antagonist meet face-to-face for the final confrontation? Hint: In most stories, this face-off is crucial to the success of your ending.
What choice between two concrete actions did your character make? Was there an easier way out? Hint: Your character and reader should feel she’s caught between two equally good choices, or two equally bad choices, or between a good choice that will cost her something dear and a terrible choice that will have a different but equally painful cost.
What did the ending cost your primary character?
Did she make the choice, or did someone else?
Has poetic justice been served? In other words, how does the ending pay off for your primary character? Did she earn that payoff?
Have you crafted a “punch line” or concrete image that expresses the emotional fulfillment of the ending in a focused way? Hint: In the beginning of the movie, Lethal Weapon, we see the suicidal cop Riggs with a bullet he plans to use on himself. At the end, he gives the bullet to his partner, a sign that he’s past that. In The Grinch, we see the two-sizes too small heart grow three sizes in the end.
Is the ending satisfying to the reader?
Does the ending answer the question posed at the beginning of the story?
Overall Story Questions
Are themes, motifs, or phrases from the beginning echoed in the ending?
Do the scenes flow smoothly and logically, building the tension, the reader’s knowledge, and the leaving the ending in jeopardy? Hint: this is pace. A successful story has slower and faster sections but is always building the reader’s desire to turn the page.
Is there more than one character performing the same story function? How can you change that into one character?
Before You Re-Write
There are as many ways to approach your edits as there are writers on the planet. One way is to create moveable cards that summarize each scene you have written. Moveable cards include digital ones on software programs, 3x5 index cards, post-it notes, or an outline in your word processing software.
Place the cards in the order that follows what you’ve written. Then move them around. Take out the ones that don’t work. Add new ones. Keep at this until you’re satisfied you’ve improved your story and you’re ready to begin re-writes.
Not the End of Revisions
Wait, we didn't use the colored pens. Crafting the best story plot you can is only the beginning of your revisions. The next phase gets into more of the nitty-gritty of using colored pens and shining up word choice. Word choice affects everything from mood to character to tension and pacing. We’ll cover that more in the next blog post.
Do you use a systematic way to edit your stories? What’s one story structure tip you can share?
About Lynette
Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, creativity advocate, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. This alone makes her uniquely qualified to write a story or three.
Her Fellowship Dystopia series takes place in 1961 Fellowship America where autogyros fly and following the rules isn’t optional. It’s the story a young woman of privilege who discovers the world, her world, is far more dangerous than she knew. A companion book, Fellowship, and books one and two, My Soul to Keep, and If I Should Die, are available everywhere books are sold online. She is madly scribbling away on book three, And When I Wake, scheduled to be published in 2024.
Lynette lives in the land of OZ and is a certifiable chocoholic and coffee lover. When she’s not blogging or writing or researching her next book, she avoids housework and plays with her two Yorkshire terriers. You can find Lynette online on Facebook, or Twitter @LynetteMBurrows or on her website.
Image Credits
Top photo purchased from DepositPhotos.com and modified by Lynette M. Burrows.
