Voice Memos Are Writing Too (Stop Gatekeeping Yourself)

You're not "not writing" when you record voice memos about your story. You're drafting.

Writing doesn't mean typing. Your thumbs clicking "record" on your phone counts.

That 3-minute ramble about Dad while you're driving? That's your first draft.

The voice memo where you're trying to remember exactly how Mom said that thing? That's backstory.

The recording where you're talking through what you wanted, what got in your way, what happened? That's Desire, Obstacle, Outcome. That's the middle of your story.

Stop gatekeeping yourself.

Sometimes whenever I am short on time or I feel myself struggling through a story, I just pick up my phone, give myself a time-limit then just ramble on—the way I would tell it to a friend.

Later, I transcribe it. Clean it up. Add the beginning and end. There is magic that happens in the edit but to add that magic you still need your words in the cauldron.

The core from your story can come from a voice memo. Whatever it takes to get you to a completed draft.

Your phone is a writing tool. Use it.

Try this today:

Open your voice memo app. Set a three-minute timer. Hit record. Tell the middle of that story (What you wanted, what got in your way, what happened). Don't script it. Just talk.

Three minutes. Done.

That's your first draft.

Reply and tell me: what story did you record?

Happy Telling!

-Carlos

P.S. Voice memo drafting is one of the techniques I teach in The Story Frame Sprint bootcamp—it's how busy parents and professionals capture stories without needing to sit at a laptop.