Just Write, Baby

The only way is through.

At some point during your journey to become a court reporter, you might begin to wonder if there's something you're doing wrong. You seem to write all day, never gaining any speed. It's difficult. You're shaken to your core and begin to wonder if this goal is attainable. I will concede that being a court reporting student is not for the faint of heart. I will remind you, though, that it is attainable. There's thousands of court reporters across the State of Texas that are living proof. The one difference between them and you is that they kept going. They kept going when they wanted to quit.

And that brings me to my point: Just write, baby. This is, of course, a rip off from the late Al Davis, who said, “Just win, baby." The point was it didn't matter how poorly the game went, so long as the outcome was a win. I encourage you to attack court reporting school with the same vigor and mindset. The only way is through in court reporting school. There's no gimmicks or tricks, or a quick 5-step way to get through. Mentoring programs and shorter theories can take you far, but at some point you must realize that it is on you.

And that is why you should Just write, baby.

Written by Martin Lilly, court reporting student in Mark Kislingbury’s Academy of Court Reporting.