Any easy way to get from paper to computer?

Magic?

There are programs, on Mac computers for instance, where you can use voice dictation, but it has its problems just like regular old typing.

There's no short-cut that I'm aware of; I think you have to do the typing (or pay someone to type it, but that probably isn't good value.)

I remember having this discussion before and was told about digital pens. At the time I looked into it, but the ones suggested to me were temporarily out, so I also looked at some other options, but they were more than I wanted to spend without doing further research first.

I also looked at tablets that were made specifically so that transferring writing would be an easy process to digital format, but that was all it did, and they were rather pricey. The only one I saw that was decently priced was only available in Japanese. I know Japanese, but all the reviews were English speakers that didn't know Japanese, so the reviews were kind of limited. I wasn't sure if it had the features that I was looking for.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8598594&highlight=scanner#post8598594

Nancyleeny said:

I guess I could revise as I do it, but while working on my first draft, it seems like a huge waste of good time.

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I'm confused. How would revising while you're typing your first draft into your computer be a waste of good time? You're revising. Revising is not wasting time.

So my larger questions is, what is it that you consider a waste of time? Writing your first draft long hand? It's your first draft. Whether long hand or keyboard, first drafts are not wastes of time.

Revising? You're going to have to do that anyway, why not while you're inputting into the computer?

I'd recommend Dragon Naturally Speaking. It'll take a little while to set it up, but then you'd be able to just read the story you hand-write and it would turn into something that can be edited on the computer.

Cathy C said:

It'll take a little while to set it up, but then you'd be able to just read the old stories and they'd turn into something that can be edited.

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Depending on how fast you type, it feels like it might be a false economy? I can type about half as fast as I can speak, but I don't have to spend time correcting transcription errors.

That said I write a lot of email using Siri on my phone now, so perhaps I'm carping.

But the OP Wants to handwrite the manuscript, so it's not a question of speed. Rather, it's a question of eventually having it in a form that can be sent to an agent or publisher.

Scan it.


http://www.wikihow.com/Edit-a-Scanned-Document

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/t...nning-printed-documents-for-editing.html?_r=0

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/scan-and-edit-a-document-HA010254879.aspx

TopHat said:

Scan it.


http://www.wikihow.com/Edit-a-Scanned-Document

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/t...nning-printed-documents-for-editing.html?_r=0

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/scan-and-edit-a-document-HA010254879.aspx

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Won't work on handwritten text, unless they've made some huge advances in the area of OCR.

http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/

http://www.wacom.com/en/ca/creative/inkling (if you have Win7, activate the Handwriting module; there is also the Tablet PC pen input software that comes with Win7)



You have to note that true handwriting recognition - not the constrained input method that comes with some computers or some computer gadgets like the above - is still an undergoing research area. Don't expect computers to miraculously understand what you scribble without the help of some form of input method.


Hope this helps.

-cb

Torgo said:

Won't work on handwritten text, unless they've made some huge advances in the area of OCR.

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Always worked for me, but then again I write in a very legible manner. So...your mileage may vary.


Anyway, I handwrite stories too, I just type it into the computer after every five pages. I'm a very fast typist so it doesn't really bother me.

I keep promising myself I would give this a try. Writing out by hand and then transcribing/editing as I go just to give it a whirl around the block.

This thread has renewed my resolve!

I would write out a few lines in a very neat and legible way OP and scan it and edit it with the OCR and see what happens.

If it works then you could train yourself to use legible handwriting when you're writing stories. You wouldn't need to stop using cursive, you would just have to switch back and forth

But Torgo is write, your mileage will vary. All of the other options are just as good, maybe even better.

There are notebooks that are supposed to be able to put your text into the computer using evernote. I don't know how well they work as I've never tried them because the notebooks are so expensive, but hey, it's a start.

I do handwrite and then type. However I'm a very fast typist so I don't feel like I "waste my time" doing it -- I feel like I gain more than I lose by being able to write without a computer.

Nancyleeny said:

Im just starting to write fiction. I love to write, rather than type my stories. I really love using a fountain pen, like the ones I used in my Catholic grammar school in the late 60s and 70s. The words just flow more easily. But I hate copying into my computer. I guess I could revise as I do it, but while working on my first draft, it seems like a huge waste of good time.

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You guess correctly, and doing so would be no waste of time. I commonly write in this manner, and find that typing the hand-written stuff into the word-processor helps enormously to clear up simple grammatical glitches, etc. More importantly, it nourishes ideas. I often come up with useful material to include, either in the passage being typed, or for later (or earlier) stuff in the manuscript.

No rule exists that you have to complete a "rough draft" with no alteration before you begin the editing process. Use that time transferring material to the computer to do a first editing pass. You won't regret doing that.

caw

I love my fountain pens and adore writing short correspondence with them. I would never consider writing a mms with them, and applaud your diligence, Nancy. In my case, I've been using word processors and computing computers for 25 years - my typing is far quicker and more accurate than my handwriting. Carpal tunnel in my right wrist makes long stretches of handwriting impractical. I often take notes and write out whole scenes in a binder, then type/revise later.

If I were going the dictation route, I'd use Dragon.

It may be worth your while to hire a typist. Provided your handwriting is legible, some typists are blindingly fast and not too expensive. It will still cost you a lot, but if you're not a fast typist yourself, it may be worth the money.

Alternately, find yourself a program to learn typing (the library probably has something; there are probably also free websites for this purpose, but you'd have to look) and become a fast typist.

Learning to touch-type is one of the most useful skills I ever acquired. It's worth the effort. I also found that, after I could touch-type, I rapidly started to find writing by hand a bit aggravating because I couldn't get the words down fast enough, and (like you) I knew I'd have to type it in later anyway. I switched entirely to typing and have never regretted it.

You can train OCR programs, especially the pro quality ones, to read Really Good Handwriting, and by that I mean I've scanned medieval manuscripts and professional stenographer's handwriting with about the same level of accuracy as scanning the average printed book.

There are also graphic tablets (i.e. Wacom) using handwriting recognition software, the paid version of Evernote, and various iOS apps with varying degrees of hand writing success. I've as yet not been overwhelmed with any of them, but I've seen some Japanese tablets that are amazing.

I'm not tech savvy at all and I'm dreading the day I have to start taking everything from paper and put it on my laptop.And I thought editing and rewrites were nerve racking!! But it's all part of the grand scheme and I know the end product will be great.

The cheapest way that doesn't require you to retype everything yourself is probably to hire a student to do it for you.

bearilou said:

... How would revising while you're typing your first draft into your computer be a waste of good time?
...You're going to have to do that anyway, why not while you're inputting into the computer?

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This is exactly what I did. My monstrously long (and still not finished) SF manuscript was also written longhand with a fountain pen in several notebooks. I decided it was time to put it in the computer and edit it into a second draft.

Pounding away at the keyboard didn't take as long as I had feared. In addition, I revised/rewrote as I went along. It was a very useful and worthwhile exercise that I recommend to anyone.

The first thing I'd suggest is getting images of all the pages you've written into the computer. Use a scanner or camera to do this. Then at least you've got a "backup" on your computer, and you can bring up an image of a page and a word processor, and type in some of your manuscript wherever you are with your computer (especially when you're out of range of Internet access - this will give you some thing to do).