Anyone doing NaNoWriMo?

My hand is hurting like all get-out. I’m never going to be able to do this. I don’t know how to dictate either.

It’s ether Drafts or Craft that can accept converted dictated inputs. Might look into it.

you can’t fail at NaNo you can just not complete the desired goal of writing 50K words in one month. Even getting a few down is a Win in my book.

1 Like

Technical, electrical engineering books. The time pressure of NaNoWriMo would be counterproductive. I have to spend a great deal of time in research and and testing so the actual writing (which NaNoWriMo measures) is only a very small part of the effort.

Learning to touch type took me 8 hours with a book and a clunky antique typewriter. 8 hours well spent.

I use to have a Sponge Bob typing course. I know where most of the keys are but if I am off, I miss the mark. I’d never get it down that fast. That is terrific that you did, Diane!

Right. I started out actually finishing stories! But my poor paw!

If you keep your heels on the ground you know when you make a mistake. Wierd. Wierder, the book started off by telling you this, and then after a few pages, said - your heels are not on the ground any more, are they?
Anyway, 2 hours a day, 4 days, job done.

1 Like

I’ve tried several touch typing training programs but I have so much muscle memory for my own version of weird typinc that it never has worked for me. What was working and I need to get back to practicing is learning to touch type uisng a totally different key system. I’ve got some keyboard covers for my keyboard that are in Dvorak format and I have been working slowly through exercises to teach touch typing in that system. It’s enough different from how I normally type that I can actually do it most of the time just really really slowly.

1 Like

I learnt in 1983 from a typing course I bought at a computer fair.

It had to be downloaded from the cassette tape each time I ran the program, which consisted of a black screen showing random groups of letters (starting with the home row and gradually spreading out) and a beep if you got it wrong.

The finger positions were given on the piece of paper which came in the box. I think the program cost about £20, which is just under £7,000,000 in today’s money.

I persisted for 2 painful weeks until it stuck and I’ve touched type ever since.

Best £7m I’ve ever spent.

1 Like

I type so fast with one hand that I revert before long. I do have a typing course of my Mac.

Interesting anecdote: In my high school girls could take typing or band, boys could take shop or band. My mother forbid me from taking typing because she was afraid that if I learned to type I’d be stuck forever as a secretary. So I had to learn to play a band instrument.

My husband similarly had some choices but his parents told him that he should take typing because then he could do his own stuff and wouldn’t be beholden to a secretary.

Both of us ended up doing the unexpected compared to our contemporaries and both for good and valid reasons.

1 Like

It is interesting you should make that comment.

My Mom wanted me to go to summer school to keep busy in hs. I could have taken a two hour typing course OR a four hour US History course. I jumped at the chance to take the History. We had two fine teachers too.

The wise guy in me didn’t want to take typing because “You can’t sleep in a typing class.”

I really didn’t want to take it because I didn’t want to end up a secretary although I had every intention of going to and finishing college.

I got through my undergraduate courses without ever having to type a paper. I begged.

“I have beautiful handwriting!”

“Just so long as I can read it…”

1 Like

Hmm. I took shop in Jr High. Not optional at the time. All boys took shop and all girls took home economics. But I taught myself to type back then because my handwriting was, and still is, unreadable!

Frankly, all boys should take home economics and all girls should take shop. Everyone is better off with a well rounded education.

2 Likes

it is fine, indeed!!!

it is savings.com

nice. LOL!

toll is good here! :o)