I bought a Digital Voice Recorder yesterday. Paid a little more for it than I’d intended, but there’s no tapes to keep up with just 3 hours available for me to brainstorm at will into a device the size of a small cell phone. It also has a clip-on microphone and a key lock, so I can chunk it in a pocket and talk into it while doing laundry or making dinner. After all, notes only go so far. I can talk much faster than I type.

Okay, so I’m not proficient with it yet. Still have to check the instructions from time to time, but I’ve got the basics down. I can’t wait to see if this improves my productivity. I have often wondered if I could work on more than one project at a time. Usually my mind races with ideas, but I can’t get them down on paper fast enough. If I can just get it onto tape – or the gist of it on there – I think I will remember more details of my ideas and will be able to concentrate more on getting the scenes down. Usually I spend the bulk of time just trying to remember what it was I’d come up with in the first place. I get discouraged with a new WIP I’m creating because I forget half of what I’d brainstormed in the first place while I’m trying to get the actual pages written.

With my Alphasmart I can also work in public places. I can record elsewhere, put in the headphones and type what I’ve said into the cordless keyboard. Oh, heck. No more excuses. Now I’ve got to go write.