I feel a little guilty as I write this, because my NaNoWriMo word count is way under for the day, and I should be slurping up little moments like these to work on it. But the call to blog is stronger than I expected, and I’ll be heading to Samovar in the Castro after class for a long writing session accompanied by their delicious tea soup, so my gilt, for now, is quenched.
The reason my word count is so far under today, versus the last time I did it, when I stayed on course, especially this early in the game, is my recent switch to the Dvorak keyboard layout (a healthier, more efficient keyboard layout). My typing software says I’m averaging about 27 words per minute, which is two times as slow as my typing speed with Querty. It won’t always be this way of course. My fingers already know how to type the more common words in their muscle memory, without needing to engage the logic part of my brain at all, but the rarer words are a process. I have to force myself not to try to think about the keys I’m typing or I’ll go into complete inertia.
This sort of thing is bad for a word count, but it has shown a hidden benefit. The forced pauses and frustration when it takes so much longer to type has slowed me down and forced me to think more about what I’m writing. The plot and story doesn’t benefit, as its already in my mind and the ether. But my writing style has become much more succinct.
I have so many stories from my life I want to tell on here, and so little time opportunity right now. Hopefully Dvorak will save me from RSI or Carpel Tunnel during NaNoWriMo, and I can write them when the month is up.
My blog’s traffic has really been increasing rapidly lately, and I really want to thank you for reading so faithfully. I’ll try to post again soon.
