I might be replying a tad late now, but I wanted to recommend you a free (as in free beer and as in free speech software solution... typingtrainer, which you can find at sourceforge (website). Qoting from the site: "Typing Trainer is an application suite that is directed towards students, from the novice to those who have the basic knowledge of the kebyoard finger layout, and want to train and exercise their expertese in typing." hope it helps =)
theres a program that you can race other people on to see who can type faster its fun but I forgot the name
My wpm = 120 consistent but my error rate is my only issue. I'd say the best way is through IMing people and through typing along to media
I guess maybe it is that simple: type...A LOT! As you can see from my original post, I thought that I would have to be doing some special exercises. Apparently, though, it seems that the real way to get faster is to type frequently. Now, how do I type without looking? I guess after I do a lot of typing, I will come to instinctively where each key is.
Luckily, we're on computers now and not on typewriters anymore. The backspace key makes it possible to have a terrible error rate and still be functionally very fast. So error rate is nowhere near as important as it used to be. They'll may still test you as if it were, but it's not. Especially since a spell check is lightning fast too. Get fast enough, and error rate hardly matters at all. Especially if you keep the punctuation okay.
I type at around 70wpm, and learnt through using the computer for college/uni/work, for essays and so on, and currently most of my work is email based - the only thing I can suggest is lots and lots of practice!!
Whilst using software can benefit a person's typing speed, a substantial amount of the time, the more practice you put in typing generally, the fast you will become. For example, it has already been mentioned to type along to TV programs or your favourite songs and this is actually a really good way to start off. Also, do not feel it necessary to type in the proper manner (as in, your fingers on the correct keys). I average anywhere between 80 - 100 words per minute and whilst I tend to type in an almost ideal manner, it's not perfect by any means. Practice!
if you have been using the computer and the keyboard for long, i suppose be difficult to learn the proper typing method.
The importance of finger location when learning to type fast should not be underestimated. Learn To Type Fast Tip #2 – Concentration Start of slow and learn the entire keyboard before you learn to type fast. Learn To Type Fast Tip #3 – Practice Practicing when you learn to type fast is the only way to gain a mastery of typing.
When I was in highschool, I accidentally stumbled upon the secret of becoming a fast typer. And the secret is... tada: Practice. I had to submit a report on Star Trek and quantum physics (how did I end up with such a topic?). I chose the topic, so I felt enthusiastic about writing the report... until I realized that I didn't know a thing about quantum physics. Procrastination set in and time just passed by - too fast (did time ever pass by too slowly when you were in highschool?). I ended up spending a whole week copying and re-organizing complete passages from different books on my computer. After that week I knew the keyboard of my computer by heart! I didn't use a proper system, but my fingers found the needed keys in a mysterious way by themselves. A few months afterwards I bought a cheap software to practice typing and learnt the correct finger location within a few days. What I still have to work on: My error rate. I make too many mistakes (around 3 to 4 typos in this short message). That's one reason to work through a decent typing course to become perfect at this.
I'm pretty sure they're still available, but many years back I used the 'Mavis Beacon' typing program and although I can still only type at around 70wpm, it's much faster than the two-fingered efforts I was using before. I picked it up on one of those budget racks in a local supermarket and it's a doddle to use.
A good way to learn to type without watching your fingers is to simply tape a piece of paper on one edge of the top of your keyboard and practice-this is how I learned in high school and I can type 80 wpm now. It works!
Chat through IM only with your significant other if he/she is away. You will learn to type fast, fast enough that way. But seriously speaking -- you can look at mastering the DVORAK keyboard instead of the QWERTY keyboard. QWERTY Is meant to slow you down (old typewriters couldn't handle fast typing) and DVORAK is meant to speed you up. Since DVORAK is a not that common, you will have to get used to using both. I am told that it becomes natural after a while.