I know I’ve talked about using dictation to write blog posts and how to become a better writer, but I haven’t told anyone the story of how I got started. How I figured out that I would much rather talk my ideas out instead of typing.

One my favorite movies as a kid, and even now, is Troop Beverly Hills. The film is about a Girl Scout-type troop from the ritzy part of LA. The troop leader is a mom going through a divorce and is new to the idea of being a leader. It’s a fish out of water story in which the Beverly Hills girls aren’t seen as regular Girl Scouts because they don’t know how to outdoorsy activities, like build a campfire or go hiking. In the end, they realize that just because they don’t have some of the specific qualities that the other girls have, that doesn’t make them any less of a Girl Scout.

Technology is the future of being a better writer

OK…  Never mind all of that mushy stuff that makes me tear up even as an adult. One of the  scenes I remember the most from Troop Beverly Hills is one that is actually very fleeting – only about a minute long. When all of the girls are being dropped off at the first meeting at Phyllis’s house, there is a montage of the different girls, showcasing their relationships with their parents. Some girls come on their own because their parents are out of town, other girls are dropped off by their director dad, plastic surgion dad  or their actress mom.

The mother I remember the most is a Daniel Steel-inspired character, played by Stephanie Beacham (she was in the original Dynasty and played Dylan’s mom in Beverly Hills 90210). Her character is a romance novelist who drives her daughter to the first Scout meeting in a cherry red convertible. As she drops her daughter off, she dictates her latest book into a hand recorder.

Honestly, I have no idea why that moment stuck out to me so much. I remember thinking how cool that was. That was the future. I was an elementary school kid learning how to write books in my sixth grade class with a pencil and a paper. Maybe some stickers.

But this fictional character used technology to put her thoughts down in a recorder so she could go back to them later. I know a recorder wasn’t “new technology,”  but for me, it felt like the future.

Then came along blogging...

Then computers came along. In the 2000s, it became mainstream for everyone to have one, and it was a lot easier to write up your thoughts. Websites like Blogger and WordPress arrived, and everyone was a blogger. Then, of course, Twitter and Facebook handed a microphone to everyone with an opinion for them to shout it out.

Smart phones allowed us to provide those opinions on the go. I bought the second generation iPhone and haven’t looked back since. All that typing on a small iPhone started hurting my thumbs after a few years. Thankfully, the phone started getting bigger and bigger, but the pain in my joints never fully recovered.

When I had Ryeson, I found myself dictating a lot more text messages to friends, usually because I knew I could do it more quickly than typing something out, and because I was frequently holding something else in my hand, like a bottle, his daily nebulizer or a rattle. This became a simple way to maintain connections with my friends through text messages or social media, but with much greater ease.

That habit has stuck with me, even though Ryeson being a toddler. It’s not unusual to see me pulling out my phone to dictate a message back to my husband really quickly.

The future of voice commands

Last year I bought a new Subaru Impreza when my old Honda kicked the bucket. My favorite feature – other than not overheating all the time – has been Apple CarPlay.  With this, I can use Siri through the speakers in my car to dictate text messages, keeping everything hands-free.

I know, I probably shouldn’t even be paying attention to that on the road, but there are times when it is needed – and very helpful. I can even use my voice to find a song or get directions.

This is where technology is heading. Voice commands through your phone, through your car, or through something like Alexa via an Echo.

“20% of searches through Google on a smartphone is done by voice.”                                       - Search Engine Land.

I love how strategic Amazon was by making the Echo cheap. It is the first shift into a mindset which believes voice commands are easy. I mean, both of my technologically challenged parents have a Dot in their home. My husband and I have two of them. One in the kitchen and one in the office. We use the one in the kitchen for dance parties with the toddler, and the one in the office plays acoustic calming music while I work. I should use it more for search terms, but I’m not in the habit yet. I still reach over for my phone to ask Siri.

I remember a Gary Vaynerchuk rant about voice commands and how that’s the future.  I can’t help but agree. Even more than that, I am proof of it – this entire blog post was written using my voice.

In fact, the rise of “listening” apps has allowed me to become a better reader. I now listen to at least one book a month through Audible. Before I really got into audiobooks and podcasts, I would only read if I was on vacation. And I didn't take vacations very much...so there's that.

It’s cookie time

Two things have stuck with me since this movie:

1. I cannot eat girl scout cookies with singing “It’s Cookie Time.”

2. I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up, driving a red comfortable, using technology to be a better writer.

I may not be a journalist, but writing listicles about Instagram Wineries in Sonoma County and blogging about social media is a great way to make a living. I bet there are young girls out there right now, excited about new technology and what the future holds, just like I was as a kid watching Troop Beverly Hills.