Do writers use dictation?

Writers use dictation, and some built their output on it. Kevin J. Anderson drafts novels on hikes with a recorder, prolific romance authors routinely cite dictation behind 10,000-word days, and the pulp writers of the 1930s dictated to typists long before software existed.

Using dictation for writing works because drafting speed triples: 5,000 words an hour is reachable by voice against 1,000 to 1,500 typing. The prose arrives rougher and needs a heavier edit, which is the trade every dictating writer accepts.

The craft adjustment is real: speaking punctuation, tolerating messy first passes, learning to think aloud. Most writers who push through a week of awkwardness keep the habit.

Modern tools soften the rough-draft problem; see voice to text for writers.