Virtual Writing Lab Guide

Now that you have all of the research completed and an outline of what you want to include in your paper, the next step is to begin writing.  This is your rough draft.  The key here is to start writing.  Here are a few hints from Wikihow to help you get started. You can read the entire article at https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Rough-Draft.

1. Find a good environment to write in.  You want to be able to stay focused.  Play music in the background if that helps you.  If your dorm is noisy, try using a quiet study room in the library.  Be sure your environment is at a comfortable temperature.
2. Start Writing.  You do not have to start with your Introduction.  You can talk about the section of your paper that is the most interesting to you.  Some writing guides advise you to write your Introduction last so that you can refer to what you have written and make that Introduction stronger.  You can use your outline later to organize the material in the correct order.
3. Do not worry about mistakes.  Spelling and grammar errors can be fixed later.  Focus on getting your ideas written first.  Do be sure to include your citations as you develop your paper.
4. Create strong sentences. Use active voice.  Be sure to use 3rd person pronouns and not 1st person pronouns unless designated by your professor.  Also, avoid starting sentences with conjunctions such as And, But, and Or.  These words join sentences and should not start them.  If you are starting to feel a little anxious about your rough draft, this is a good time to watch the video from Schoolhouse Rock in the column on your left.
5. Refer to your Outline if you get stuck.  This can help you organize your draft and give you an idea on what to focus on in a particular section.

Sometimes it is hard to start writing.  However, if someone says, "tell me about your topic", you have no problem talking about it, but you still find it difficult to type it.

KCU is a Google campus and the voice to text feature, called 'Voice Typing' may be a help to you.  You will need a microphone and the ability to open a Google Doc.  You can do everything on your smart phone once you have downloaded the Google Docs app on your phone. Just follow the directions below.

How to Use Voice Typing in Google Docs

1. Ensure your microphone is installed and working properly.
2. Open Chrome browser window.
3. Open a New Document in Google Docs.
4. To activate voice typing, click Tools > Voice Typing. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+S in Windows or Command+Shift+S in macOS.
5. A new window will open with a microphone icon. Click on it when you are ready to begin dictation. Note: The first time using Voice Typing, you’ll need to grant Chrome permissions to use your microphone.
6. If Voice Typing doesn’t automatically load your native tongue, click the three dots and then use the Language drop-down to select from over 100 languages and dialects.
7. Speak clearly in your normal volume and at your normal pace so the tool can understand your dictation. Everything you say now appears in the body of your document. If it’s having trouble understanding you, make sure you have selected the correct dialect in the languages menu.
8. When you finish speaking, click the microphone again to stop listening. You can also say “Stop listening.”

Adding Punctuation, New Lines, and New Paragraphs

To add punctuation, lines, or paragraphs to your document, just speak the phrase. This will insert the punctuation mark in the line.

• Period (I enjoy reading books about history period)
• Comma (I enjoy reading books about history comma clocks comma and unicorns period)
• Exclamation mark (I love peaches exclamation mark)
• Question mark (Do you know where the car is parked question mark)
• New line
• New Paragraph

Delete and Backspace

If you accidentally say something you want to be deleted, you can say “Delete” or “backspace” to remove the word before the cursor.

Other Useful Commands

Here are some other useful commands to get you started being more productive and making the most out of Voice Typing:

• Selecting text: Select [word, phrase, all, next line, next paragraph, next word, last word]”
• Format your document: Apply Heading [1-6], apply normal text, Bold, italicize, italics, underline
• Change font size: Decrease font size, increase font size, font size [6-400], make bigger, make smaller
• Edit your document: Copy, cut, paste, delete [word or phrase], insert [table of contents, bookmark, equation, footer, header, page break]
• Move around your document: Go to start/end of [line, paragraph, column, row, document], move to next/previous [character, word, page, column, heading, line, misspelling, paragraph, row]

You can find a full list by clicking the question mark in the tool’s window or by saying “Voice commands list.”