Haha, great post Winston...
Yep, 15 years old. Started writing a book. Took me over 2 years to complete, about 2 months before graduation.
Man, what a feeling of accomplishment. I spent 2+ years spending every emotion I have on that book.
This was my exact inspiration to learn to touch-type, I started writing a script when I was about 18/19. I remember starting it off, and I was like; O-n-e, d-a-y
I did a quick calculation and realised that it would take me around a decade to finish it, typing at that speed. So I went to the Record & Tape Exchange, and bought myself a touch-typing, CD Rom (remember those? Of course you do, you used a word processor!).
I'll never forget my first lessons, just typing, fjfjfjfjfjfjf, and being really thrilled at typing words like; dad and fad, without looking at my fingers :-)
I can't remember what the computer was; it was the 90s (just), so we were past the word processor phase. It was some big clunky desktop thingy; and it was my second computer, after winning a Dragon 32, in a cereal box competition about 5 years previously.
I love touch-typing, and I find that there is a certain nirvana, of being in the flow on the keyboard, and having the ideas flow at the same time; it just feels amazing; don't you think?
Anyway, that was a really long-winded way to say, I can type at around an average of 55wpm, maybe maxing out to about 70... Hmmm, I haven't tested myself in awhile, and I'm competitive as hell... OK, I'm off to test myself; one sec!
--- Hmm, OK, 51 wpm, adjusted down to 47, fluent basically. However, that is copying unfamiliar text, and it is early in the morning, (did I mention I was super competitive?)
Anyways, I reckon I'm a lot faster, typing from my head, so to speak :-)
I'll shut up now...