Welcome to ScratchNotes. Each week, I share one idea about creativity and brand building so you can take inspired action.

Reading time: 5 minutes

I’ve always been fascinated by other writers’ creative processes.

Now that I’m starting a new 9-5 role, I’m especially fascinated by how writers became prolific while balancing time-intensive responsibilities.

We often hear about people quitting their jobs to pursue creative endeavors full-time.

But what about people who successfully did both?

People who had a career and creative pursuits?

People who lived in such alignment that the two were not fragmented, but integrated?

Sometimes constraints are the catalysts we need for greater creative output.

Which brings me to today’s topic:

How to use dictation to become prolific.

Not just as a writer, but as a creative in general.

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the UK during WW2, dictated almost all of his books, articles, and speech drafts. He’d pace the room, cigar in hand, and speak while his secretary typed away.

Agatha Christie, the bestselling fiction writer of all time (with over 2 billion copies sold), used a dictaphone to record about half of her 66 novels.

I’ve even transcribed and edited a book for a well-known copywriter when I was first learning to write copy.

Technology has since caught up, where you don’t need another human to turn transcriptions into books.

However…

With agentic AI, there’s an even more powerful workflow for writers.

One where you dictate your story…

then let AI transcribe, upload and format your words directly into a platform like this one.

After a decade of working from home, hotel lounges, coffee shops and my kitchen counter… I’m heading back to an office.

Which means something I haven’t had in a long time: a commute.

My husband, Jordan, is always encouraging me to find ways to use AI in my daily life.

This weekend, I was describing how I envision using voice dictation to write my newsletter while commuting, when he cut in:

“Don’t tell me. Let’s just record this.”

He opened the Granola app on his phone and hit record.

I started talking.

“I could use my 45 minute drive to speak my thoughts aloud to Granola. Then I can have Claude turn the Granola transcript into a Hook Story Close format. I already set up a template on Beehiv that has all the headings and line breaks already.”

“Yeah. You can use your Claude-Beehiv skill so you don’t have to copy/paste anything. It will automatically add the story to your template. You just have to add links.”

20 minutes later, we ended the recording.

I had a fat grin on my face.

This commute was not going to be a hindrance.

This was a constraint with major potential to keep me consistent.

What you’re reading right now started as a phone call.

Granola recorded it. Claude refined it.

…And I still spent a day editing lol. (Because that’s what writers do with fresh eyes.)

Just like it’s easier to push a rock that’s already rolling, I find it easier to expand a thought that’s written down.

When I open Beehiv to write, I’m not starting with a blinking cursor on a blank page.

I’m starting with my story, my words, and getting straight into the real work: editing.

The more ideas I capture on my commute, a trail walk, or in the cracks of my day…

The more drafts I have to publish, thanks to this workflow.

March · Week 4 of 4 | Q1 W12

I’m transitioning to a new role. On Monday, I start with the Veeqo team at Amazon, hosting events and webinars to help ecommerce sellers streamline inventory management and save on shipping.

Part of my commitment to staying consistent with this newsletter is having a repeatable template to organize my thoughts.

Here are the first of many thoughts captured!

Granola.ai is an AI notepad that turns your voice into structured notes and first drafts. Have it join your calendar meetings or use it to transcribe your speech on your next drive. Try Granola here.

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey.
I started this audiobook in preparation for my next season. It uncovers the daily routines of over 160 artists. Some were erratic, others were structured, yet all were prolific. Goes to show there’s not one right way to do your life’s work.

I went on the cutest Artist’s Date with a friend from The Creative Living Book Club.
She took me to Take Heart, a handmade goods boutique in East Austin. One quaint, candle-filled shop with lots of books and journals does a lot to refill the creative cup!

I’m super excited for this next chapter and to test out this new style of publishing.

Curious…has life ever forced you into a new creative rhythm you ended up loving?

Tell me!! I’d love to know.

-Annabel

P.S. The next Book Club starts in April. We’re reading The Way of Integrity. Join us!