I Got Bored of Typing Tests, So I Built One That Tells You a Story
Why typing tests are boring (and what I did about it). TypeMaster — built by ntxm
I have a confession to make. I’m a developer, I type all day, and I’m still not as fast as I’d like to be.
Every few months, I get the urge to improve. I’ll open one of the usual typing platforms, hammer out a few tests, see my words-per-minute (WPM) jump by two points, and then get incredibly bored.
The problem, for me, was never the act of typing. It was the content.
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” “island because seem year different next” “price world market good”
My fingers were moving, but my brain was checked out. I was practicing a mechanical skill, completely disconnected from the reason I type in the first place: to think, to communicate, and to create. There was no flow. No rhythm. It was just a race against a clock, fueled by random words.
That’s when a thought got stuck in my head: “What if improving my typing speed could actually feel creative?”
What if, instead of hitting random letters, I could practice by typing something that mattered? Something that held my attention?
What if I could type a story?
Building a Tool for Flow, Not Just Speed
I’ve always believed that the smallest side projects teach you the most. They’re a playground for these little “what if” questions.
So, I decided to build it.
My goal was simple. I wanted to create a clean, fast, distraction-free space to type. No flashy ads, no complex leaderboards, no overwhelming UI. Just you and the words.
I built the standard features first: a clean test to check your WPM and accuracy. It was a good start.
But then I got to work on the idea that started it all. I called it “Stories.”
The concept is exactly what it sounds like. You load the page, and instead of a jumble of nonsense words, you’re greeted with the opening paragraph of a classic story — like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or The Call of the Wild.
Get Nitiksh Kumar’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
You don’t just type; you write.
The Difference Between Racing and Writing
The first time I tried it, something clicked.
I wasn’t just trying to beat a score. I was getting lost in the narrative. My fingers were just the tools to bring the story to life on the screen. I was focused on the flow of the sentences, the punctuation, the natural pauses.
It felt less like a competition and more like a conversation with the author.
This is what I’d been missing. The goal of typing isn’t just to be fast; it’s to be able to transfer your thoughts to the screen as seamlessly as possible. To close the gap between thinking and writing.
And for me, practicing with a real narrative does that in a way that “price world market good” never could.
It’s Just Getting Started, and I’d Love Your Thoughts
I called this little project TypeMaster.
It’s still evolving. It’s still just a small corner of the internet. But it’s built on this idea that the tools we use should make us feel sharper, more creative, and more human.
I’m sharing this because I’m building it in public, and I genuinely believe the best things are built with a community.
Whether you’re a writer trying to find your rhythm, a developer who lives in the terminal, or just someone who enjoys the sound of their own keyboard, I’d be honored if you gave it a try.
Let me know what it feels like for you. Does it work? What’s missing? What story would you want to type next?
Let’s build things that help us create more.
There’s also a free offline desktop app now, if you’d rather practice without a browser tab: https://typemaster.ntxm.org/download
💻 You can try the main site here: https://typemaster.ntxm.org
✍️ Or jump straight to the stories: https://typemaster.ntxm.org/stories
Wanna Know About Me ? Here is the me — https://nitiksh.ntxm.org/
