One of the most obvious difficulties when writing anything is the blank page problem. How do you get started?
In the era of LLMs, it's tempting to reach for the magical text generation machine, but I think there's a danger to doing so and losing control of what it is you're trying to say.
I've been trying something different recently, using new age dictation tool Wispr Flow to get some words on the page.
It's interesting to see the quirks of my speech written down, and then to go through the editing process. It makes me more keenly aware of the difference between how I speak and how I write. But there's something nice about starting with your authentic voice.
It reminds me of my father, who is a doctor. When I was younger, he had a tape machine which he'd use to dictate letters, which would be typed up later by a secretary. It's interesting to see the same approach rejuvenated with modern technology.
Wispr Flow has impressed me; it's mostly pretty accurate, with the occasional typo (normally on more arcane words). It's helped me start quite a few pieces of writing that I've done over the last couple of weeks, including, naturally, this one.