Someone's Gotta Say It

When speaking your words literally means it. The text can come afterwards!

Good afternoon to you all. I thought I'd send out a post that's just me talking. It doesn't matter if I go um or ah, or what sounds there are. I've got a window open, people outside are chatting and playing, and a door might go bang. There's nobody else in the house making noise at this time, like the children, so you won't hear that.

The good news is that I see many people on Substack doing a fantastic job of speaking and narrating their beautiful articles. Their newsletters also have audio versions, which is excellent. It doesn't matter if there are stutters or pauses, or if there are sounds going on elsewhere. It doesn't need to sound professional or like a studio recording. You don't need to tidy up the audio one bit, add filters, or check for anything. Just record it once and let it go.

I celebrate you and think there's no need to apologise or point out that it's rough audio or that something might offend people. We're human beings; we say um from time to time and have noises around us. I can hear an aircraft overhead right now; you may hear it, you may not. None of it matters.

[In fact, if you want to compare the raw audio with an enhanced version using a free online tool from Adobe, the enhanced version is below… Do you think it sounds better, or that it’s lost its edge?]

So, I thought I'd say that anything you decide to push out with an audio version is wonderful. Bring it on because some people want and need the audio to appreciate, read, and enjoy your work. Others will only look at the text, so it won't make a difference either way. The different ways we do things provide variation and options for people in various circumstances.

I want to celebrate that and say if you just want to hit record and say something, that can be good enough for a post. There's even a tool I use at times like these where I'll record some words, and have the words tidied up. They remain pretty much my words, and I’m still free to edit afterwards, as I deliberately have at the end of this sentence. [But to make a point, I’ve left practically all the text as per the tidied transcript, so you can see where it differs from the audio. And I’m putting full-on extra text inside square brackets, so it’s clear.]

The service I use at the moment is amazing, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's called audiopen.ai. Everything is AI these days, but basically this service takes audio, transcribes it, and can re-jig it in any way you want, including keeping the transcript as is. So anything you want to do will allow you to write with your voice.

I love being able to speak to dictate and let the tidying process happen because speaking the words is like a first draft. I may have lots of notes or nothing at all. This time I've just rocked up to the mic to speak this piece, and I'll get something out of it. You can hear the rough recording right now, and that's okay.

[Two dictation heroes. First, my Dad. When I was a kid, he’d dictate entire reports into a Dictaphone. It blew my mind at how he could do that. Second,

Monica Leonelle

who wrote a book about dictating back in 2015. Below is an interview from the brilliant Creative Penn podcast. I tried to speak my writing as a kid, with no success. I tried to speak my writing after Monica Leonelle pushed it back to the top of my agenda… Again, with no success. With immediate transcription and accurate tidying, I’m finally dictating! 🥳]

There's no need to apologise for imperfect audio. In some ways, it's documenting another part of the process.

So kudos to you if you're putting out your own content with audio as well. It allows us to get a feel of who you are or lets people who can't read the text for some reason hear your voice.

Or maybe someone’s on the go and wants to hear the article because they can't stop to read the text. Well, let's celebrate that! It's more potential for an audience that otherwise wouldn't have been there.

[Aaaaaaand, it’s less than 50mins since I hit record and started talking. I’m about to hit send on this. Nearly 800 words of text (and the audio version!), with extra bits and a YouTube embed for more info on dictating your writing. Talking it through can help speed up the process for some pieces.]

If I love to hear your voice as much as I enjoy reading your writing, I can’t be the only one who’s happy when there’s a play button for listening.

Bring it on! Let's record audio, warts and all. Allow the blemishes, ums and errs, and noises—it's all good. The main thing people come along to listen to is you: your voice, your words, and the wonderful things you have to share.