I Ditched My Keyboard for a Month, Here's What Actually Worked

My wrists started screaming at me around page 47 of my second novel. You know that burning sensation that tells you you've been typing too long? I'd been ignoring it for weeks, popping ibuprofen like candy and telling myself I'd "take it easy tomorrow."

Tomorrow never came. My doctor used the words "repetitive strain injury" and suggested I take a break from typing. As a full-time writer with deadlines, that was about as helpful as telling a fish to take a break from swimming.

That's when I fell down the rabbit hole of dictation software for writers.

The Dragon Era (And Why It's Complicated)

I'll be honest—I started with Dragon NaturallySpeaking because that's what everyone recommended. Version 15, $150, the works. For about two weeks, I felt like a genius. I was dictating 3,000 words a day, way more than I could comfortably type.

Then the cracks started showing.

Dragon kept turning character names into completely different words. My protagonist "Mira" became "mirror" about 40% of the time. I spent more time correcting than I saved by dictating. And don't get me started on dialogue—trying to say "comma, open quote, close quote" every few seconds made me sound like I was having a stroke.

Plus, Dragon only worked on my Windows desktop. When I wanted to write at a coffee shop or during my commute, I was back to typing on my laptop or phone. My wrists were not amused.

What Writers Actually Need (That Nobody Talks About)

After burning through three different dictation apps, I figured out what actually matters for writers:

It's not about accuracy alone. Yeah, 99% accuracy sounds great in marketing copy, but what matters is whether it understands your writing style. If you write literary fiction with complex sentence structures, you need something different than if you're churning out blog posts.

Platform availability matters. I write on my Mac at my desk, on my iPad at coffee shops, and sometimes on my iPhone when inspiration hits during walks. Having dictation available on whatever device I'm using is important, even if the apps don't sync between devices.

Punctuation needs to be automatic. This was my biggest frustration with Dragon. Having to say "period, comma, question mark" constantly interrupts your flow. Good dictation software should predict punctuation from your speech patterns.

The Modern Alternatives Nobody Told Me About

Three months into my dictation journey, another writer mentioned Dictation Daddy in our Slack group. I was skeptical—I'd never heard of it, and I'd already wasted money on apps that promised the moon.

But here's what got me: it's available on Mac, iPhone, Android, Windows, and as a Chrome extension. Under $100/year covers all platforms, which is less than I'd spent on wrist braces. The apps don't sync between devices, but at least I can dictate wherever I am.

The AI-powered transcription picks up on my writing style after about a week. It learned that when I pause for three seconds, I'm probably ending a sentence. It figured out my character names. And most importantly, it doesn't make me sound like a robot when I'm trying to write dialogue.

I'm not saying it's perfect—it still trips over made-up fantasy words, and my Yorkshire accent throws it off occasionally. But I can dictate my first drafts now without wanting to throw my computer out the window.

What About Google Docs Voice Typing?

Real talk? Google Docs voice typing is free and it's... fine. I used it for about two weeks.

The problem is it only works in Google Docs (obviously), it requires constant internet, and the accuracy is hit-or-miss with creative writing. It's great for emails or quick notes. But for long-form writing where you need reliability? I found myself getting frustrated.

The biggest issue: no learning curve. It doesn't adapt to your voice or vocabulary. Week one is the same as week ten. For a novel with specialized terminology, that's a dealbreaker.

My Actual Workflow Now

I've settled into a system that works for my wrists and my deadlines:

First drafts get dictated completely. I use Dictation Daddy while walking on my treadmill desk—turns out moving while dictating feels more natural than sitting still. I get through about 2,000 words in an hour this way, which is roughly double my typing speed.

Editing still happens on the keyboard, but in shorter sessions. I can handle 30 minutes of typing for revision work. That's manageable. The bulk of the creation happens through dictation.

Dialogue is still tricky. I found that reading it aloud dramatically (yes, doing different voices) actually helps the software understand the breaks better. My neighbors probably think I'm unhinged, but my wrists are happy.

The Learning Curve Is Real

Here's something nobody warned me about: dictating is a different skill than typing.

Your brain works differently when you speak versus when you type. I'm a slow, deliberate typer who crafts sentences carefully. Dictation forced me to think more like I'm telling a story to a friend. It took about three weeks before it felt natural.

Some writers never make the transition. And that's okay. But if you're dealing with wrist pain like I was, it's worth pushing through that awkward phase.

My first dictated chapter was garbage—rambling, repetitive, full of "ums" and "ahs." Chapter five was better. By chapter ten, I'd found my dictation voice. It's actually looser and more conversational than my typed writing, which my editor says is a good thing.

But What About [Your Specific Situation]?

If you write technical content with lots of special characters and code, dictation might not save you much time. The cognitive overhead of dictating brackets, slashes, and variable names could outweigh the wrist benefits.

If you write in a noisy environment (busy coffee shops, kids in the background), accuracy will suffer. I tried dictating at a Starbucks once. Once.

If you're writing in a non-native language or have a strong accent, you'll need software that adapts. I have obvious bias here—I make a competing product—but the AI-powered tools handle accents better than the older rule-based systems like Dragon.

What I Wish I'd Known Earlier

Start with free trials. Most dictation software offers them. Test during actual writing sessions, not just "testing testing 123." You'll quickly find what frustrates you.

Your accuracy will suck at first. Give it at least a week of regular use before judging. The AI needs time to learn your voice.

Invest in a decent microphone. Your laptop's built-in mic works, but a $30 USB mic will dramatically improve accuracy. I use a Blue Snowball. Nothing fancy, but it cuts down on background noise.

Learn the voice commands gradually. Don't try to memorize 50 commands on day one. Start with "period," "comma," and "new paragraph." Add more as you get comfortable.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Dictation won't magically make you a faster writer if you're a slow writer because you're thinking, not typing. If your bottleneck is figuring out what to say, not the physical act of typing, dictation just moves the bottleneck.

But if you're like me, deas flowing faster than your fingers can keep up, or dealing with pain that makes typing difficult—it's genuinely life-changing.

I'm 60,000 words into my third novel now, and my wrists haven't complained in two months. That alone was worth the learning curve.

Last updated: January 13, 2026, verified with current pricing from Dictation Daddy and Dragon NaturallySpeaking websites