Today is the perfect day to let Santa know what you want for Christmas.
Technology keeps changing the game for us writers. Although nothing has yet been invented that can fill that first blank page or give you more hours until deadline; there are many items, both new and traditional, that will aid in your task.
Gone is the gobbledy-gook of the old text-to-speech software. New Speech Recognition software promises up to 99-percent accuracy, and upgraded versions enable you to use voice commands to control your computer. What a great holiday gift - create, dictate (documents and email) and edit THREE times faster than typing!
Dragon from Nuance Communications seems to be a good choice, with prices ranging from $75-$200. SpeechMagic, Tazti, Sonic Extractor, and e-speaking are others you might check out. And just so you know, Windows 7 and Windows Vista come with a built-in speech recognition system. Wow!
Here are a few more ideas in case you're still not quite sure what to ask Santa for Christmas. My thanks to fellow blogger Jennifer Rova for starting this list. If you have other ideas, be sure to add them!
Technology
New computer
Upgrades for computer - wireless adapter, external hard drive, etc.
Kindle or Nook
Voice Recorder (A voice recorder pen is the latest thing!)
Padded laptop carrying case
USB Flash Drive
Flash Memory Card
Essential Tools
Waterman pen
Business Cards
Bed desk
Portable lap desk
Colored file folders
Colored recipe cards (for those plot points)
Ream of computer paper
Book holder
Extended Learning
Certificate for online writing class
Gift Certificate for Barnes & Noble, Hastings, etc.
Gift subscriptions to a literary or writing magazine
2011 Writer's Digest or Children's Digest
Books- The Think's Thesaurus, Sophisticated Alternatives to Common Words
Relax & Get Those Creative Juices Flowing
Gift Certificate for a massage
Electric coffee cup warmer
Single coffee cup machine or espresso machine
Gift Certificate to coffee shop
Just for Fun
Magnetic Poetry
Art glass paperweight
Sterling pencil charm
Tray or holder for reading glasses
Customized mouse pad
Custom door hanger (Writer at work!)
Book ends
Magnifying glass
Custom Writer's T-shirts
WRITER
I'm not day dreaming, I'm planning my new novel
Shhh...writer at work
I collect rejection letters
In my write mind
Careful or you'll end up in my novel
Some of my best friends are fictional
Bookworm
Writer's block is a figment of your...uh...
BUY MY BOOK
Writer's Basket
Chocolate
Pens/Pencils/Highlighters
Calendar
Notepads/Stickies
Coffee/Coffee mug
Book
You'll find hundreds of online gift resources, and many stores carry these items. Merry Shopping!
http://www.levenger.com/ - Tools for serious readers, good quality gifts including lap desks, book holders, bookends, and more.
http://www.zazzle.com/ - Shirts, office supplies, customized items, business cards, coffee mugs, calendars, letterhead, tablets, etc.
http://www.shakespearesden.com/ - Fun writing gifts with a Victorian flair like a quill and pen.
http://www.fishseddy.com/ - Quirky little trays for glasses and writing tidbits.
4 comments:
Wonderful ideas for writers from both you and Jennifer. Regarding voice recognition, I have Windows Vista on my computer and didn't realize it included the voice recognition tool! I'm going to check it out. Might be fun! (And useful.) Thanks.
Dear Santa....
Thanks for the mention about tazti speech recognition. One of the new features of tazti is that you can set up 'gaming profiles' that let you control programs that have keyboard shortcuts. If you have specialized writing tools such as ScriptWare or such, you can create a profile to control the program.
Michael
team tazti
http://www.tazti.com
This is some great stuff! Thanks for pulling it together.
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