Category: Podcasts

Well, this was fun. I recently had the pleasure of being invited onto the SPA (Self Publishing Authors) Girls Podcast where I spoke with Wendy Vella and Shar Barratt abould all things dictation-related. What was especially interesting about this chat was the angle – both Wendy and Shar are self-confessed novices when it comes to dictation, so this was a great opportunity to really go over the basics from a beginner’s perspective.

Listen to the Podcast episode HERE:

SPA Girls Podcast – EP190 – Dictation With Scott Baker

You don’t have to be a beginner, though – we also talked about lots of other topics including the merits of Dragon Anywhere, the issues facing Mac users since their version was discontinued and whether Dragon can successfully tame Wendy and Shar’s New Zealand accents (spoiler alert: yes).

Thanks, SPA Girls!

It’s been 18 months since I was first interviewed by Melinda Hammond for her Writer on the Road podcast. Since then, she has thoroughly embraced dictation. Not only does she use Dragon pretty much anywhere (from beaches to mountaintops – I’m not kidding!), she is churning out astonishing word counts. While most people would be ecstatic at 2,000-3,000 words in a session of dictation, Mel is able to hit as much as 10,000 words in a single day while embracing the great outdoors and her active lifestyle.

I was thrilled to recently catch up with Mel again and talk about what has happened since out last chat, including the options for Mac users now the software has been discontinued for that platform and a refresher on how to get started with dictation and build it into your daily writing workflow. You can listen to the podcast episode here:

Writer on the Road #152: How To Boost Your Writing Work-Flow using Dragon Dictation with Scott Baker

In this episode, we talk about:

• Boosting your workflow
• Dictating 2-10k words per day
• Transcription
• What equipment you will need to invest in
• Workflow
• Training your Dragon
• Alexa, Google Home & Siri
• Accuracy
• Ditching your keyboard
  … and much more!

Thanks, Mel!

This last week I got to say “G’day” to Aussie author, entrepreneur and all-round great person Melinda Hammond of Writer on the Road.

Melinda was recording this on the other side of the world to me and was heading to bed as my day was beginning! We covered an awful lot during this chat, including the following (and much more):

• The benefits of transcription over dictating at a desk
• Differences between the Mac and PC versions
• How authors like S.J. Pajonas have embraced dictation
• Using a refurbished PC as a ‘dictation station’
• Viewing Dragon as just another input method
• Why dictation and typing doesn’t have to be an ‘either/or’ choice
• How punctuation can disrupt the creative flow but ‘clicks’ eventually
• Setting levels and file types in smartphone apps for transcription
• How it’s important to unplug and go analogue when plotting
• Information on “The School of Training Your Dragon” and fast-tracking your Dragon accuracy and word count via my new courses

Check out the podcast episode here:

Writer on the Road #77: Telling Stories: Using Dragon Dictation to Improve Your Workflow with Scott Baker

NOTE: There are many visual references (including Melinda’s fascination with my office ‘Pop Vinyl’ collection!) during the interview that may seem confusing; I didn’t realise the podcast was audio only. My mistake!

P.S. There are not merely “dolls”, Melinda. 🙂

In case you’re wondering what we were laughing about, here they are:

The cast of Twin Peaks. Poor Laura Palmer…

Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul), John Wick

Elliot and Mr Robot

Don Corleone (The Godfather). Make him an offer he can’t refuse…

Thanks, Melinda!

When I was first starting out in self-publishing, I didn’t know where to begin – I had been a freelance writer for some time and was caught up in the traditional publishing world, mainly working on magazines here in the UK. Luckily, I had The Creative Penn to guide me.

I’ll never forget the lightbulb moment I had when I found Joanna Penn’s blog and podcast and realised there was a whole new world of indie writing and publishing out there. Roughly seven years later, things have come full circle and I find myself being interviewed by Joanna; I’m so grateful for all the help and advice she’s given us indies over the years and I hope my little contribution to this podcast adds to that treasure trove of knowledge. Check it out below:

The Creative Penn #327: How To Use Dictation To Write Faster And Stay Healthy With Scott Baker

We cover some of the benefits of dictation including clear author voices; the health and mobility advantages of dictation; recommendations for equipment to use and tips for how to train your Dragon. I also talk about my upcoming School of Training Your Dragon, where you can go way beyond my books and delve deep into dictation via my new courses.

Thanks, Joanna!

A side note: A few months ago, I decided to purpose-build a dictation/writing office in my garden. To call it a “posh shed” would be a disservice – it’s a writer’s room, honest – and this interview took place on the day of completion. If you watch the video version below, you can see my choice of inspiration behind me – the two David’s, Bowie and Lynch, brilliantly interpreted by Rob Snow.