Do you look at the screen while typing? Or do you look at the keys instead?

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by nastyjman, Aug 10, 2012.

  1. Pickled_dirt

    Pickled_dirt New Member

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    I do a little bit of both when I'm in full swing. Lately though, I've been writing on my iPad. It's a huge learning curve to write without feeling the keys on the tips of my fingers, but the portability of the device makes up for the lack of tactile response in such a huge way.
    Sometimes I'll go down to my local beach with a nice coffee and zone out by looking at the waves while I write. It helps me get into a really good flow to be able to write whenever inspiration hits me, and I can sit and lose myself in time while the words scribe themselves.

    I'm not trying to plug apple products by the way!!! MacBooks are the devil! There's just something special about having a tool at let's you give life to your ideas as you have them, and being of the Gen Y movement, pens and paper just don't cut it for me.
     
  2. dlaiden

    dlaiden New Member

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    I've written enough that I don't need to look at the keyboard to type things, so I look at my screen when writing. Makes it easier to see and correct mistakes.
     
  3. moscowwoah

    moscowwoah New Member

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    I look at the screen, never the keys.
     
  4. Stupid-Face

    Stupid-Face New Member

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    I vary from looking at the keyboard one second then looking at the screen, if I see a typo I change it as soon as possible because otherwise it bugs me, hahah.
     
  5. Yoshiko

    Yoshiko Contributor Contributor

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    I look at the screen.

    I was using a computer daily from age seven for educational games. I mastered touch typing quite young because the grammar + spelling games had timers and I would try to beat them (a) faster and (b) with better accuracy each day.
     
  6. Still Life

    Still Life Active Member

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    I average about 98 wpm (on typeracer.net) and could probably type blindfolded. I owe it to early training with Mario Teaches Typing. Before we had a PC, I used to write stories on the typesetter my dad found at a yard sale. I'd haul that thing into the closet and clack-a-clack away. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever writing stories on paper... So I guess I've trained myself to know the keyboard by heart.
     
  7. Walshy1595

    Walshy1595 New Member

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    According to to the test I just took, I type at 62WPM (with a shoddy keyboard, so I think it would be more like 70 if all my keys worked properly), and generally I look at the screen the entire time that I'm typing. And if I make a typo, I just backspace and fix it, it really doesn't take that long to be honest. At least, that's my personal preference.
     
  8. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    I was taught to always look at the screen when I type, so that's what I do.
     
  9. lachesis77

    lachesis77 New Member

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    I look at the screen when I type, except when I have to type in things like numbers or less commonly used characters like the square brackets.
     
  10. Bluesman

    Bluesman New Member

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    I look at the screen all the time. Even numbers and special characters (like the "é" as in ALT-130) I do blindly. I grew up working with computers, it's second nature to me.

    I actually tried working with voice recognition software once and talking my story into MS Word, but was a total disaster.
     
  11. Danvok

    Danvok New Member

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    I look at the screen. I've gotten used to typing by now.
     
  12. Whizzbang87

    Whizzbang87 New Member

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    If I'm on my home pc I will touch type. If its the laptop I look at the keys.
     
  13. JonSpear360

    JonSpear360 Member

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    I was required to take typing classes from like 1st grade on. So, I usually forget I am even typing. I just think about my story and the words come up on the screen. I just tried to type this post while looking at the keys, and I couldn't get through it! :)
     
  14. MindTheGap

    MindTheGap New Member

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    I typically focus on the screen. My mother incorporated a typing course into my education when I was homeschooled so I learned to type in the 5th and 6th grades. It's commonplace now for me to barely glance at the keyboard, I'm so used to just watching the screen.

    I didn't inherit my father's hunt-and-peck skills, thankfully.
     
  15. spklvr

    spklvr Contributor Contributor

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    Touch typing can be a real bother when switching computers... My mom has this tiny little Asus and I use it to take notes in school, but I'm used to this huge laptop, so sometimes I find myself trying to type off-keyboard.

    To answer the question, I look at the screen. For some reason, looking at the keys makes my writing slower. I focus too much on finding the right letter.
     
  16. cogitatio182

    cogitatio182 New Member

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    I look at the screen, I think just because I like the challenge of not seeing the keyboard. Makes me feel like I've accomplished some awesome skill because I can type without looking...yeah, it's the super impressive thing I tell people when they ask something interesting about me :) Not really.

    Really, it helps me focus on the writing when I don't look at the keyboard. It makes me stop and think about what I want to say, not how I'm going to type it. It also let's me type faster, because ideas hop away from my brain super fast, especially more complex ones. Getting it down fast, even with typos makes sure I've got it, and it doesn't escape me.
     
  17. Oz!

    Oz! New Member

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    I touch type. Self taught with an ancient Rowe instruction book and a monster of an electronic typewriter. After the initial couple of weeks of trying to stop my eyeballs crawling down my nostrils to take a peek at the keys it was a good investment.

    The only time i look at the keyboard now is when I've splashed tea over it.
     
  18. Gonissa

    Gonissa New Member

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    I look at the screen. My keyboarding teacher always said that if you look at the keyboard when you type, you have to relearn it.
     

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