Voice to Text for iA Writer
iA Writer strips away distractions so you can focus on words. But even in a minimal interface, typing still interrupts your thinking. Blurt removes the last barrier between thought and text. Hold a button, speak your draft, release. Your words appear in iA Writer's clean markdown editor, ready for refinement. No copying, no pasting, no breaking flow. Just pure focused writing at the speed of thought.
The Typing Problem
Your best ideas come faster than your fingers can type
You chose iA Writer for its focus mode. The blinking cursor, the monospace font, the clean interface. But your thoughts still outpace your typing. That perfect opening paragraph is crystal clear in your mind. By the time you finish typing the first sentence, the second has already faded. You're left reconstructing thoughts instead of capturing them.
First drafts take forever because you edit while typing
You know the rule: write first, edit later. But when you're typing, every typo begs to be fixed. Every awkward phrase demands immediate revision. What should be a 20-minute brain dump becomes an hour of start-stop-rewrite. The focus mode helps, but your editing instinct doesn't care about the interface.
Blog posts sit half-finished because starting is hard
You have a dozen blog post ideas in your notes. Each one feels like it could be great. But sitting down to type the first draft feels like work. You open iA Writer, stare at the blank page, type a sentence, delete it, type another. The resistance to starting is so high that most posts never get past the outline stage.
Essays require multiple writing sessions that lose momentum
Long-form writing needs sustained focus. But typing drains mental energy faster than thinking does. After 30 minutes of typing, your fingers are tired and your brain is foggy. You save the draft and plan to continue tomorrow. Tomorrow, you spend 10 minutes re-reading to find your thread. Momentum lost.
The gap between thinking and typing fragments your narrative
Great essays flow from one idea to the next. But typing creates gaps. You finish a paragraph, pause to type the transition, and lose the connection to the next thought. Your writing reads choppy because it was created choppy. The seamless narrative in your head never makes it to the page intact.
How It Works
Blurt works directly in iA Writer. Open your markdown file, place your cursor, and start speaking. Your words appear as text, ready for iA Writer's focus mode.
Open your document in iA Writer
Start a new markdown file or continue an existing draft. Put your cursor where you want text to appear.
Hold your hotkey and speak
Press your chosen shortcut, speak your thoughts naturally. Blurt handles punctuation and capitalization automatically.
Release and keep writing
Your text appears at the cursor in iA Writer. Continue speaking, or switch to editing. The choice is yours.
Real Scenarios
Drafting entire blog posts in a single session
You have 30 minutes before a meeting. Open iA Writer, hold the button, and talk through your entire blog post like you're explaining it to a friend. The introduction, the three main points, the conclusion. All captured in your voice, in your style, in 15 minutes. Now you have a complete rough draft to refine during your next focused session.
Writing essay first drafts without self-editing
Speaking bypasses your inner editor. Hold the button and let thoughts flow without stopping to fix typos or rephrase sentences. 'This paragraph is about how constraints enable creativity. Like how poets use sonnets. Or how Twitter's character limit forced clarity. I should find that quote from Austin Kleon.' Raw, unfiltered first draft material that you'll shape later.
Capturing the perfect opening before it disappears
You're in the shower and the perfect first line hits you. You jump out, open iA Writer on your Mac, and hold the button: 'Most writing advice is backwards. They tell you to write every day, but they don't tell you that writing every day only works if you have something to write about.' Captured in 10 seconds before the steam clears.
Writing through transitions that usually block you
You've written two strong sections but can't figure out how to connect them. Stop typing and start talking. 'Okay, the first section is about why minimalism matters. The second is about markdown as a tool. The connection is that both strip away distractions. Markdown is minimalism for text formatting.' The transition writes itself when you think out loud.
Newsletter drafts that sound like you
Your newsletter subscribers expect your voice. But when you type, you overthink word choices and sound stiff. Speaking naturally produces sentences that read the way you actually talk. Hold the button and write your weekly update like you're sending a voice memo to a friend. Your authentic voice, in text form.
Research notes that become article sections
You're reading sources for a long-form piece. An insight connects two ideas. Switch to iA Writer, hold the button: 'This study supports the theory from chapter 3 of that productivity book. The key point is that breaks improve focus, not just rest. This should go in the section about sustainable writing habits.' Research notes that are already half-written sections.
Overcoming writer's block with stream of consciousness
The blank page is winning. You've been staring at the cursor for 10 minutes. Stop trying to write the perfect sentence. Hold the button and just talk: 'I don't know how to start this essay. I guess the main point is that people underestimate how hard writing is. Maybe I start with a story about my own struggles.' Often, the draft is hiding inside your uncertainty.
How Blurt compares to macOS built-in dictation for iA Writer users.
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, hold to record | Double-tap Fn or click microphone icon |
| Transcription speed | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay common |
| Accuracy for long-form | Optimized for extended speaking | Works best for short bursts |
| Natural speech handling | Handles pauses and thinking naturally | Pauses can interrupt transcription |
| Pricing | $10/month or $99/year | Free with macOS |
| Focus on writing | Designed for drafting long-form content | General-purpose dictation |
Frequently Asked Questions
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