Spend your first week focusing entirely on the consonants. Practice drawing the strokes at the correct 45-degree, 60-degree, and horizontal angles. Pay strict attention to line thickness. Your "P" must look visibly lighter than your "B". If your line weights are identical, your transcripts will be unreadable later on. Phase 2: Positional Writing and Vowels

Pitman New Era Shorthand remains the fastest shorthand system ever created. Developed by Sir Isaac Pitman in the 19th century and refined through various editions, the represents the pinnacle of stenographic speed, capable of recording speech at over 200 words per minute.

Unlike traditional longhand, which traces the spelling of words, Pitman Shorthand is a phonetic system. It is designed to capture the exact sounds of the English language rather than its often-confusing spelling. By utilizing geometric strokes—straight lines and shallow curves—along with precise dots and dashes for vowels, a skilled writer can record speech at speeds exceeding 200 words per minute.

Pitman shorthand is fundamentally different from standard longhand writing because it relies on the following principles: