I don't know why, but I like asking this question. You can tell a lot about someone in many cases based on how fast they can type.
This could also get into the questions "How did you learn? When did you start?"
Well, as for myself, I began typing properly in the 7th grade, which would put it at around 25 years ago. They were computers that time, but when I did it again in the 11th grade, they had us on typewriters for some reason. Either way, I owned it that time because by then, I was in the middle of writing a book.
You see, I wasn't a very good student - academically, not socially. I didn't cause problems at school or anything. I wasn't a bully, nor did I get bullied, and things like sports and student counsel didn't interest me in the slightest. But I was horrible at completing homework, finishing projects, studying topics that didn't grab my interest whatsoever. I failed a lot of classes for this reason. It's not that I didn't get it. I got it just fine, it just bored me to death; it put me to sleep.
But, when I was in the 10th grade, I got a Brother word processor for Christmas.
Not a computer. A word processor.
This thing:
And I fucking loved it. I did so much on this thing for the 3 years I had it before replacing it. Mostly, though, I wrote a daily journal (which I think is the root I'm going back to when I write here these days), and I wrote a book.
Yep, 15 years old. Started writing a book. Took me over 2 years to complete, about 2 months before graduation.
Man, what a feeling of accomplishment. I spent 2+ years spending every emotion I have on that book.
Excitement, determination, anticipation, anxiety, boredom, neglect, guilt, and of course, the dreaded writer's block.
I'll keep this short, but the story was about a group of friends that grew up and went to a school in a really bad part of a large city. Dealt with gangs, drugs, metal detectors at the schools, etc. A lot of my inspiration came from movies like "Lean On Me" with Morgan Freeman and "The Principal" with John Belushi, both from the 80's. It was totally spur of the moment to even begin writing it, and it suddenly came to have a life of its own. I tried doing a 2nd draft to fix some things I knew needed it, but then graduation came, then summer, then I tried going to college, got a job, etc etc etc, and it never happened. Never published it or anything.
BUT ANYWAY...
That word processor is what gave me the typing skills I have today. I can't stand internet shortspeak, aside from the usuals, like "lol" or "brb". Those are just convenient. But the nearly speaking fully in that shortspeak is enough to drive me up a tree. I even have to have capitalization and spelling as correct as I can.
That's because of that Brother word processor.
This thing had a beep that would go off while you were typing if something was incorrect. Not like the red underline you get these days. This was nearly an evil alarm clock ::BEEP:: that would rattle your eardrum every time it went off. It was like electric shock therapy for learning how to type correctly, or maybe the game "Operation".
So now I have a kind of rigid method of typing, but it's efficient I suppose. On a nice warm day, I can cap out at about 80+ wpm. Temperature drops, suddenly I have the rusty hands of the tin man and no oil.
On a sidenote, have you ever argued with a friend in chat or messenger who can type that fast? GOOD GOD. Even if you're as fast as they are, what a pain in the ass it is to get a word in edgewise, right? It's like you're trying to be the 9th caller!
Wow, okay, this was supposed to be a short post, but it grew a life of its own and took over.
Huh...that's how my book got started.
So, back to my original question:
How fast can you type?
EDIT: If you need to find out real quick, you can check your typing speed at http://typingtest.com. Thanks to @the-bitcoin-dood for the suggestion!
Feel free to visit me on Discord. I'm usually at a number of different channels, most recently HERE among many others. My user name is Winston Wolfe#4205.
Used to type 80-90 wpm, however got jobs with no pc use, and use that exact website for refreshing! I had at one time, scored a 1 minute legit classroom timed test of 95 wpm, back in the day
Maybe 18-20 on a good day.
computers ,typing ,writing do not come easy for me...more mechanic,construction, driving, are my speed.
lol !
namaste!
Huh, strange. I've seen people talk about this, but I've never experienced it: My reply to you has mysteriously disappeared upon posting it. Just....poof.
Anyway, what I said was that this reminds me of a question I meant to include in my original post.
Even though full-sized keyboards are a challenge, what about sending texts on a phone? I've met several people, in fact, who have difficulties with a computer keyboard, but blow me out of the water when it comes to writing a text.
lol..
No much of texter either.
but Since I started steemit,I have started using the speach to text function, that is cool as long as you read before you post!!! lol...
:-)
namste
65 words per minute and I learned on a Trash-80 (TRS-80 from Radio Shack). Are you going to dust off the book and submit it for publication? People these days are very nostalgic...lmfaosrag (wink).
77 words per minute :D
Lol, showoff, 77 wpm, and a med student! :-)
Cg
Haha, great post Winston...
This was my exact inspiration to learn to touch-type, I started writing a script when I was about 18/19. I remember starting it off, and I was like; O-n-e, d-a-y
I did a quick calculation and realised that it would take me around a decade to finish it, typing at that speed. So I went to the Record & Tape Exchange, and bought myself a touch-typing, CD Rom (remember those? Of course you do, you used a word processor!).
I'll never forget my first lessons, just typing, fjfjfjfjfjfjf, and being really thrilled at typing words like; dad and fad, without looking at my fingers :-)
I can't remember what the computer was; it was the 90s (just), so we were past the word processor phase. It was some big clunky desktop thingy; and it was my second computer, after winning a Dragon 32, in a cereal box competition about 5 years previously.
I love touch-typing, and I find that there is a certain nirvana, of being in the flow on the keyboard, and having the ideas flow at the same time; it just feels amazing; don't you think?
Anyway, that was a really long-winded way to say, I can type at around an average of 55wpm, maybe maxing out to about 70... Hmmm, I haven't tested myself in awhile, and I'm competitive as hell... OK, I'm off to test myself; one sec!
--- Hmm, OK, 51 wpm, adjusted down to 47, fluent basically. However, that is copying unfamiliar text, and it is early in the morning, (did I mention I was super competitive?)
Anyways, I reckon I'm a lot faster, typing from my head, so to speak :-)
I'll shut up now...
Cg
47 wpm but with 5 mistyped words. Who else relies on auto-correct way to much? 😓
:))))) this small video I was think too :)))
You rock @winstonwolfe! I can't stand "short speak" either. For goodness sake are people trying to save ink or be so hip as to baffle their readers? But this was the clincher for me: "It was like electric shock therapy for learning how to type correctly." Upvoted and followed. Peace and love.
I LOVE Lean on Me. You need to dust that book off, fix what you need to fix and get it published my friend.
I learned to type in college. Just by the simple need to type faster. I was a journalism major with political science minor and I was assigned paper after paper. 15 page papers all the time. Just by doing I started typing faster.
I probably type about 80 words a min with corrections.
I'm a writer. Typing somehow helps the ideas to flow.. especially when you can do it fast and on autopilot. :)
THAT is the truth. In fact, I hate handwriting anything anymore. I can type so much faster than I can write that I'm embarrassed when I'm being watched handwriting anything. It feels sooooo slooooow.
My handwriting is getting worse and worse; I mean, it started off bad. My teacher used to say it was like a spider, dipped it's legs in ink, and then crawled across the page! Which I was strangely proud of...
Anyway, it bloody hurts to hold a pen now; and a signature, is about all I can muster these days, and maybe a few personal notes.
Cg
Right? The pizza delivery guy is who sees me handwrite anything now.
Signature + tip.
My dread, is if I have to write in front of one of my kid's teachers; I'm propelled right back to school...
Shocking!
Cg
Well being that I type with only one finger, l would have to say my fastest is probably in the category of extremely slow. Before I start a post I have to pack a lunch to sustain me. Believe me, I am serious!.........billytwohearts
How fast? You posted this 16 seconds ago :) haha
I am very fast you posted this 17 seconds ago!
Edit: I may be very slow.
lol
I haven't tested myself in a really long time. I just took the test at http://www.typingtest.com and scored 45 words per minute. I was self taught and learned using a program I think was called TypingTutor back in the mid 90's. It was a fun program that came on a floppy disk and turned typing into a game. I'd practice about a half hour a day and within a couple months I was typing properly.
Oh good call on http://typingtest.com. I'm going to edit my post to include it. ;-)
I'm not fast, but pretty accurate. I learned in a typing class in high school on electric typewriters. Teacher used to cover my hands so I couldn't peek at the keys. It was my worst grade of my high school career, but the only skill I learned in high school that I use every day. Thanks for posting.
So, I am completely self-taught at typing. I started with an old program called, "Mavis Beacon Teches Typing." I think my previous best was around 43 WPM, and I haven't bothered with this in about 25 years. I was pleasantly surprised by my new typing test results! 56 WPM
OMG I sold copies of Mavis Beacon when I worked at Best Buy in like 1997. LOL
because you become familiar with keys when you type
Maybe 20 words per minute and even than I have to fix all my mistakes. I am a pathetic human being I know. This post took me 10 minutes to write and it is complete non-sense.
laptop keys makes it easier than an external key
i would think the opposite of this. Then again i have fat fingers.
"slower than molasses in January", but I keep trying anyways.
Great!
I'm in IT & have been for the most part of my life, and I still type whilst looking at the keyboard lol
I really want to touch type. I think it looks more professionaly. However with my man-ape style of typing I can usually pump out a good number of words per minute.
I personally think it looks so amateur when I type while looking down. :/
That took a while to get over. So I typed in the dark :)
i cant believe i read all,, great post by all standards
Im not sure about the words per minute, but i can write a book is around 8-12 hours time if i just sit down and focus on it
ive actually written 23 books this way, its really easy, you just have to let the words fall from your fingers...as stupid at that might sound
it was actually a goal of mine to see how many books i could write in a year...even better, i put them onto amazon and im actually making money from them everyday, gotta make goals and finish them !
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