How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 24 Hours

Chapter 2:

Speed Typing Techniques for Rapid Writing

I was a freshman in high school when I enrolled in Mrs. Nagel's typing class. In the back of my mind, I thought it'd be an easy A and a better alternative than classes I had zero interest in, like shop. I already knew by then that I wanted to grow up to be a writer, but I'd convinced myself that my handwriting was perfectly adequate for writing first drafts.

I'm not the biggest advocate of handwriting these days since I'm much more proficient at typing now. Back then I wasn't a fan of typing. In fact, as the entire class hammered away on loud electronic typewriters, I was as bored as if I were watching paint dry.

Clunk, clunk...clunk, clunk, clunk...ching!

During the first few weeks of class, we had to follow along to the rhythm of Mrs. Nagel's alphabet soup.

"F, space, K, space, F, space..." She gasped for air. "...K, space, F, space."

This went on for an eternity, and I hated it. I didn't really see what she was getting at, or if the lessons were really working. I took an entire semester with her, easily three to four months, and I aced the class.

Thankfully, technology has advanced so much since 1990 that you don't have to rely on overpowered, antiquated pieces of equipment like a Smith Corona typewriter. By the time I graduated in 1994, my school had a computer lab stocked with a couple of PCs with giant dual-colored monitors. Fun times!

Now you can find many vocational schools, local workshops, or online services that can teach you to type quickly and efficiently using far better tools. You won't need correction tape when you make a mistake. And don't worry about the black ribbon running dry, because digital ink is limitless.

I'm grateful now for the time spent in typewriting class, because that skill has been the one I've used the most since my days in high school. Thankfully, I never gave up and pushed through the monotonous daily exercises that Mrs. Nagel gave us. Sure, learning to type was like watching paint dry, but it paid off in the long run.

Choosing the Right Typing Tools & Software

If typing is how you prefer to write, it's important to get good at it so you don't spend hours staring down your fingers and the sea of letters on the keys. However, there's still something to be said about that way of typing. A friend of mine types incredibly fast using just two fingers. He's great at it after years of practice.

I asked him one time if he'd ever considered learning the traditional way-left fingers on the A, S, D, and F keys and right fingers on the J, K, L, and semicolon keys. He didn't see any reason to change since he already typed at a pretty consistent pace.

Both ways have their pros and cons, but I recommend touch-typing if you want to type faster and more efficiently. With countless resources dedicated to touch-typing, you won't ever lack instructions or tools for improvement.

In fact, I use the site the Typing Speed Test to see how I've progressed. I hit about fifty-eight words per minute usually, give or take a few words. I could be a lot faster if I didn't constantly self-edit as I type. I practically wear out my backspace key and burn out my mouse going back to fix mistakes. The best way to improve is to keep going when you make a mistake and fix the issues in editing later on.

If you must change an entire sentence because it ruins the rest of your paragraph, then do it. Personally, I believe you should leave it and sort it out later. Push forward and write the best you can without hitting the backspace button constantly.

If you need word processing software, I recommend any of the following:

• Microsoft Word
• Apple Mac Pages
• Google Docs
• WPS Office
• Dibbly Create

What you write in doesn't matter as long as you have an auto-save feature and remember to create redundancies; this means saving your work in two locations like your computer's hard drive or a cloud-based service. If you already write using a cloud-based service, make sure you export your document every session and save it on your computer. If the cloud service fails, at least you have a backup.

As for hardware, use what you have available. A simple PC, Mac, tablet, or even mobile phone with a keyboard can do the trick. I prefer quiet-touch keys on a compact keyboard. However, if you have larger hands, that might not work for you. Shop around for options that best suit you.

Using a keyboard when typing on a mobile phone isn't essential, but I found that writing on my phone is leagues better when I do. You can find wireless keyboards that sync to smartphones or try the old-fashioned way by plugging into your phone's charging port. Depending on how old your phone is, this might be a challenge, but having an external keyboard will save your fingers over time.

Choose a keyboard that allows you to rest your palms on the tabletop comfortably while positioning your fingers in the optimal typing position. My fingers always hover over the keys in the middle row. Most keyboards will come with a little notch on the F and J keys, so you know where to place your index fingers without looking down. Get familiar with that notch so you don't have to look down repeatedly to know you're hitting the right keys.

Improving Typing Speed & Accuracy

If you're new to touch-typing or are just returning to it from a prolonged absence, give yourself some time to improve-not to mention a little patience and grace. Touch-typing is like exercising, reading, or any process requiring skill-you need to practice. If you don't practice, you'll never improve.

Beyond the previously mentioned typing test, there are other ways to practice, such as writing every day consistently. You don't have to write your book; it can be something like an email, blog post, social media comment, you name it.

Setting a timer helps motivate me to type with no hesitation. Knowing that I have a deadline looming, I put the pedal to the metal and let my fingers do the talking. Then, when the time is up, I'll go back through and spot any typos I made. Errors will happen, and it's totally fine when they do.

Years ago, I took classical lessons on my nylon acoustic guitar. This was decades after learning to play guitar on my own, so I had to retrain myself to play correctly. The way I taught myself to play was inefficient and might have damaged my hands and wrists. One issue that would drive my instructor crazy was that I'd stop whenever I made a mistake, then start all over. He believed you should power through, stick with the tempo, then reflect on the mistake later.

He further assured me that if I continued to keep playing that way, I'd get stuck in a loop of refining the same part of a song over and over. Whereas if I looked at the complete structure of the song and stayed in time, I'd end up with a passable song. From there, I could identify where I went wrong and analyze my approach.

Teaching yourself to type better and more efficiently works the same way.

Try it out for yourself by writing a brief journal entry about how your day is going. Don't worry about writing to any audience beyond yourself. The point is to get into the habit of typing with no disruptions or interruptions. Aim to type without a break for about fifteen minutes.

I read about this theory in Kevin Tumlinson's The 30-Day Author Plan. This strategy involves setting a timer for fifteen minutes and reflecting on your day. Doing this exercise before writing a book helps grease your creative wheels and breaks the habit of endless editing. Remember, editing shouldn't come until after the first draft is complete. Anything else is premature, with few exceptions to the rule.

When I journal before my initial writing session, I am more efficient. I'm sure that comes down to not having any reader expectations in my head because I know I do not need to write perfect prose. In fact, I highly doubt I'll ever read my old journal entries. I have typed over 1,000 words in a session at times. Previously, I could type 300 words in fifteen minutes. After trying that journalling warm-up exercise, I can crank out 500 to 600 words every fifteen minutes.

Implementing Time-Saving Typing Techniques

The key to typing more efficiently is to practice daily for at least fifteen minutes or more. But I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you other ways to shorten your work time so you can type much faster.

When I first started typing, I didn't have the luxury of commands or hot keys. Now I have everything I could possibly need to ensure few interruptions. That's why you should have a basic grasp of common commands and quick keys that'll speed up your writing without sacrificing quality-or your sanity.

Almost every word processing program comes with a nearly universal set of commands that implement some type of shortcut when you strike a combination of two or more keys. For instance, if I need to move a misplaced sentence or section, I can...