Ask HN: How to improve my typing accuracy? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to improve my typing accuracy?

2 pointsmattowen_uk2 comments

Hi HN, When I code I'm pretty accurate with my typing with hardly any typos and I can code at quite a speed, however when I type long form (even this post) every second word or so is mistyped. Does anyone have any tips on how to fix this?

People have said I might be dyslexic, even though I can read really well. I can't hand-write though, I have to write in upper case, otherwise it's illegible. I'm also left-handed.

I'm also on the autism spectrum, and thinking about getting properly tested for that to find out how bad.

I can talk for hours though, albeit slightly rambling, so the creativity is definitely there.

What I want to do is write more long form texts both fact and fiction, but I'm being put off knowing my typing accuracy is so bad. I see other people typing at speed with hardly any errors, and I get disheartened.

What have other people done, or suggest, to tackle this issue?

A few random thoughts:

+ Use a 'tape recorder' to capture your thoughts, have someone else transcribe it...or a machine...your future self might also be that other person.

+ You are the only person who judges you based on typing accuracy. Everybody else is focused on worrying about their analogous self judged flaws.

+ Practice writing using free writing. Both by hand and typed. Because writing is hard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_writing

https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas...

+ The writing in your question is perfectly fine. That's probably because it took you a long time. Time spent working on something written strongly correlates with the quality of the work.

+ Join a community of writers...or another one since part of what HN is, is a community of writers.

+ In the end, this is a bit of an XY problem. What you want is to write. The way to write is to write. Writing is always a struggle. Better typing comes with experience. Better writing doesn't come from better typing.

+ Your writing is fine and that's all anyone else will care about.

+ I feel I spent way to long writing this. That's ok. I have become used to the feeling.

----

Finally after all that on my end another suggestion:

Buy a mechanical typewriter. They are mostly distraction free (except for mechanical tinkering). One of the good parts for me is how a mechanical typewriter forces me to deal with typing errors...no matter what I do, they still live on the page in some form even with correction tape...so I over strike or strike out or ignore.

Why I suggest this for you is a mechanical typewriter will always produce imperfection...and that force hones judgment about what is and isn't important.

Hi, Thank you for the suggestions, and thank you for taking time to answer my Ask HN :)

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