Written: 9 Ways of Writing a Non-Fiction Book

14. Performer Archetype

Performer Archetype Essence: Embrace modern technology

The Performer archetype is more commonly known as dictation. It's where you speak your words and thoughts into a recording device or software, which are then transcribed and turned into a book.

As you speak more words per minute than you write, the Performer Archetype helps you write your book faster. An internet search reveals the average person speaks between 110-150 words per minute and types between 38-40 words per minute (); a professional typist can type between 65-75 words per minute.

The Performer Archetype is ideal for you if:

· You love talking more than writing.

· You're short on time or want to write more books faster.

· You have the budget to allow for a transcriber.

· You're willing to spend time figuring out and setting up software.

· You're happy to learn a new way of speaking; adding things like punctuation as you go.

SOFTWARE OR RECORDING DEVICE?

There are two ways to speak your book; with a recording device or using software.

Using a recording device, such as a Dictaphone or a recording app on your Smartphone is a quick and easy option that allows you to speak your book wherever you are; but it requires transcription.

Most smartphones already come with free recording software pre-installed. For iPhones, it's Voice Memo. For Android phones, it's Sound Recorder, although the name may vary depending on the phone manufacturer.

If you don't like the voice recorder, your smartphone came with, or it doesn't have one, search "Voice recorder" in the App store or Google Play.

Transcription can get expensive depending on your word count; you usually pay a fixed price per word, so shop around. You can find transcribers on websites such as Fiverr; just make sure the person you choose has good reviews and is fluent in speaking and writing your native language.

Remember to carefully read through the transcript you get back to check for any errors, punctuation in the right place, or missed words. You also want to ensure it still flows and makes sense.

Using software is a better long-term approach if you're going to write multiple books, but it requires an upfront purchase and patience to set it up.

While dictation software will speed up your writing process (this is the secret behind writing a book in a weekend) there's a steep learning curve; you must master a new way of speaking.

Software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking requires the speaker, you, to go through a series of exercises so it can become familiar with your voice. The more you use it, the more it recognises your tonal nuances.

There's a list of commands you need to master to control writing with your voice; a new paragraph, bold, italics, capital letters, etc. Most programs will provide this.

There are also punctuation commands you need to learn so you can add in commas, full stops, semi-colons, etc. as you speak. If you miss doing this as you talk, you or someone else will need to go back and add them, which could be time-consuming.

If you're using dictation software, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, the program will transcribe the words for you as you speak them, so no transcriber is needed. You will still need to read through it though to check for errors and flow.