As developers, our keyboards are pretty much an extension of our brains. We type all... day... long.
Every once in a while, I get the itch to improve my typing speed. I'll fire up one of the popular typing tests and... immediately get bored.
The problem? It's always a stream of random, disconnected words.
world price market good because seem next
It’s a decent way to measure raw WPM, but it feels like a total chore. You're not practicing writing, you're just practicing hitting keys in a specific sequence. There's no rhythm, no flow, and my brain just checks out.
The "What If..." Moment
This got me thinking: What if practice could actually be engaging? What if, instead of typing nonsense, I could practice by typing something... well, interesting?
What if I could practice by typing an actual story?
The Build: Meet TypeMaster
So, I decided to build it. I've been hacking away at this side project for the last few weeks, and I'm calling it TypeMaster.
The goal was to create something clean, fast, and 100% distraction-free.
It has the standard speed tests, but the part I'm really excited about is the "Stories" mode:
👉 https://typemaster.ntxm.org/stories
Instead of random words, it feeds you paragraphs from classic literature. You practice by typing out Alice in Wonderland or The Call of the Wild.
Why It Feels Different
The first time I used it, the difference was obvious. I wasn't just "grinding" for a high score. I was actually reading the narrative. I found myself focusing on the flow of the sentences, the punctuation, and the structure.
It felt less like a test and more like a conversation. My goal shifted from "how fast can I type" to "how smoothly can I write this sentence."
It's amazing how much more engaging practice is when your brain is actually involved.
I'd Love Your Feedback
I'm building this out in the open and it's still super early. The dev.to community is full of makers, and I'd be incredibly grateful for your feedback.
Is this something you'd use?
What features are obviously missing?
What other stories or content (maybe code snippets?) would you want to type?
It’s just a simple web app, but it’s a problem I wanted to solve for myself. Let me know what you think!
Cheers, Nitiksh
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