The Secret To Producing A Lot Of Writing

It’s clear to anyone that follows my work that I write a lot. A book last month, a blog post every day, and then there’s all the writing I do that no one but me sees, like in my journal (the DayOne app). Then there are all the lists I make, the notes and observations I take in the Drafts app that end up becoming these blog posts. It’s a lot.

There are many secrets to producing a lot of writing. One, of course is not caring about the writing being perfect. I have a book of essays based on blog posts that I’ve been compiling over the last few years, for instance, and I’ve been refining and expanding on some of the ideas that I post here. It’s useful… but once you get past that, there’s another important thing to consider.

And that’s your tools. What are you writing with? I went through a period of searching for the perfect mechanical keyboard. It has to be mechanical if it’s going to be any good, because the tactile nature of the switches make typing much faster. I was able to reach speeds of 140wpm when I used certain keyboards. The iPhone keyboard works in a pinch for me but it’s not even close to what I can do with my Das Pro 4.

I originally opted for cherry mx blue key switches but found them a bit too clicky. I never thought I’d enjoy using brown switches but on this keyboard, I can really fly. There’s just enough of a tactile bump that I can type without “bottoming out” (pressing the key all the way down). 

It took some trial and error and even some selling of keyboards that didn’t meet the mark (though were highly regarded in the mechanical keyboard community).

I recommend trying a few mechanicals, if you write a lot or even want to write a lot.