A writer needs many things to write. If they are actually writing they need their hands to hold the pen to the paper or to float across the keyboard as they type. Writers have their own writing style, their own writing quirks, and what they use as their implement to write. Some writers write in longhand, in cursive or even print, some type on a manual typewriter, some type in an electric typewriter or some writers type on either computer or a laptop. That's not all inclusive and doesn't describe all writers or their styles or quirks.
If a writer had the ability to write using their writing style, and then all of a sudden lost use of one or both hands either temporarily or permanently, are they still a writer? Some writers are storytellers. Some writers are information givers. Some are poets, songwriters, nonfiction writers, or fall into academics or journalism or some other form of writing. writers write. It's what they do. It's who they are.
There are many ways a writer can lose the use of their hands such as disorders disease or injury. If a writer has always used their hands and then all of a sudden has to figure a way to get their thoughts on paper, it can be a list of trials and errors to see which works for that particular writer. It is not always just about writing especially when you lose the ability to do so. Different emotions can surface such as frustration and anger and even feeling loss. Loss from the ability to do what is part of you to do in your usual way.
It is not easy to take your thoughts from your head that normally goes straight to your fingers and type out the words or write the words down on paper and have to train yourself to tell your story another way. It can be difficult for the thoughts to be said out loud. There are many different dictation software, and some built into current operating systems, such as speech recognition or a dictation ability in one of the applications. The other option for speaking verbally is using a digital recorder or a recording app on a smart phone. With the recording app on a smart phone if you choose just to send it to the computer you would have to convert it to a file that the computer would recognize.
When using speech recognition or some sort of verbal communication to a computer or laptop there are different types of microphones, webcams, and headsets with microphones. It is up to the writer on how and what they use 2 connect so the story can be written. Webcams or some sort of video recording can record the author or writer telling the story or their ideas of the story. This really depends on how the author wants to share the story. If the story ultimately should be put on paper, the writer may want to look at different ways to tell the story. Using dictation or a digital recorder, it is not always easy 4 the computer to recognize words depending on how the author pronounces words or how they speak. It is important if you're going to use speech recognition that you use the built in ability of speech recognition to train the computer to recognize your form of speech. If you're going to use specific software that you purchase in order to dictate, do the research to see if it does exactly what you want it to do. There is some software that is used for speech recognition and dictation, but it also has the ability to transcribe audio files. This would work for those writers who speak into a digital recorder and then transfer the audio files to the computer. One thing to note though is that when reciting or dictating it is important to also speak the punctuation or that would have to be inserted later.
There are also hardware options that can help an unsteady or trembling hand such as a mouse where you can change the setting so it's not so sensitive. Also there are different types of keyboards such as large button keyboards or ergonomically created to help a writer be able to type. The different adaptive technologies that are available can be used for disabled writers with varying disabilities. Some of the adaptive technologies can be fairly expensive but if research is done it is possible to find a comparable item that will also fit the writer’s needs without breaking the bank or spending savings.
In life, there are always obstacles to overcome. Sometimes for a writer losing the use of a hand is only temporary, such as a sprain or broken bone, things that will heal and you just have to make do with what you can do with what you have. Other times there is a disability that is permanent and can affect the writers hands and there are so many different disorders that can affect the hands and it can be very frustrating to have to think about what to do next. Some writers decide to retire, or some writers try to use other methods to get their stories on paper. There is no right or wrong answer because it depends on the individual writer. If you have a disability or some form of physical disorder you may want to research that disorder to see how other people have overcome such say or obstacles such as using their hands. There are tools that can be used even if the hand is just unsteady, shaky or one hand is unusable such as dominant hand and the less dominant hand needs to be trained.
Authors note: this article was written through the dictation process in the current version of Microsoft Word. This author has essential tremor disorder, which affects both my hands and my legs and even some other parts of my body. The more I use my hands, the more they shake. I've done a lot of research to see when I could use to help still tell stories or even just get information out there in order to help others. This article is about writers and what is most important this to realize that, yes, writers write but what they really do it's put their words on paper in whatever way possible.
This is an original work by Amy Shannon, so it is copyright protected.