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Learn to touch type


pippychick

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I did a quick forum search, and didn't find a topic for this specific thing, so I thought I'd start one off.

If you're a writer, and you can't touch type, it's a really easy (and strangely fun) thing to teach yourself. I did it quite a few years ago.

I used learn2type.com but I'm sure there are other free resources out there too. Touch typing is a skill that is useful in lots of little ways you can't foresee, and it's also something you never forget.

I know for a fact that I could never go back to writing longhand now, but that might be personal preference. When you can type without thinking about it, the ideas flow from your brain down through your fingers and appear on the screen like magic.

Perhaps we could have a fun little wpm competition on this thread. I'll start, though it's a long time since I tried to be fast, so it's probably not all that good.

....

Without any practice, my current WPM is 42.

You can do better than that. Go on and have a go!

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I managed to avoid learning how to touch type. I can still remember trying to drop that typewriter* out the window, muttering, "Fuck the lazy brown fox..." :whistle:

(*There were no PCs back then.)

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Back in high school I used to achieve speeds of up words of 120 words per minute I used to use a technique called thought flow where I didn't even think the words I was writing I simply saw what was on the page and my fingers moved without thought haven't done that in about 100 years, Now I'm too embarrassed to tell you what my wpm is! :blush:

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I had a little manual too, but portable. For a while it went everywhere with me.

Apart from the nostalgia, you're all so fast! I'd practice, but I know for a fact that the last time I was trying for speed I hit a plateau in the mid-70s and couldn't break through it. I'm fast enough for my thoughts, which is enough for me.

It's brought up an idea though. In the world now, with all the smartphones and tablets and such, are keyboards going out? Will typing one day become a skill akin to dry stone walling? Cute, but unnecessary. I hope not, because I can't stand writing with predictive text.

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Predictive text makes me want to scream.

I bought a little bluetooth keyboard for my tablet, and I use that rather than a laptop when I'm at the pool in the summer. I get to write, and when I need a break, I have the Kindle app to let me enjoy a book. I love my little keyboard, and I'll never give it up. Even if I am one of the slooooow typers.

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  • 10 years later...

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