Here was his list:
- Treat steno as a hobby (try not to pin expectations on steno becoming a certain thing by a certain time)
- Regardless of which theory you pick, you'll likely need to put in a fair amount of practice to become proficient
- Don't go it alone! Plover has a rich community of creative tinkers, makers, and hobbyists (along with pros!) that can offer encouragement, guidance along the way.
- Steno generally takes ~3 mo. to become comfortable with basics, 3-6 months to start gaining speed and ~2 years to really get comfortable. But it definitely varies from person to person.
- Don't forget fingerspelling! Fingerspelling is your fallback, so be sure to practice this as well!
- Dictionaries are flexible; tailor them to fit the way your brain works. Everyone has their own spin on steno theory.
- When optimizing speed, it can be helpful to think about your average number of strokes per word.
Then Sooty (a self-taught stenographer who has been working professionally for quite some time now) chipped in with these:
- Always add to your dictionary, at every opportunity
- Brief on frequency, not difficulty
- There's no point moving quickly if you don't move correctly
- Practice with a metronome
- Walk, don't sprint.
- Find patterns in your dictionary, make new patterns
- There is no such thing as "verbatim"
What do you think? Do these ring true to you? I really like this idea and would love to hear more from other people! Please feel free to submit them in the comments or on the Discord or Google Group.
