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Does anyone have problems writing fast enough to keep up with the default speed of the training? I find myself unable to keep up and panicking. Does anyone have tips that may help?

Do you mean writing on paper or typing on the keyboard?

On paper

I'm just a beginner, on lesson 10 currently. I always have to play the recording twice because of the same problem, but from my own experience, it gets better with time.
My best way of copying is when I stop thinking about dots and dahs and just write whatever comes to mind first. This being said, it's hard to do that.

Are you faster typing than writing? I started this course only using the keyboard, thinking I'd be slower than writing on paper, but it turned out I was faster at typing.

I try not to type because I believe you memorize better writing with your hand.

But I do test myself on MorseMachine and I get at about 6.8 wpm on my good days

Just watch out that you don't end up having to type letter-by-letter all the time, because you just learned a link between the morse character and the keyboard . . .

If you can type already then you can decode the letter in your head and just type it in as you would normally - but if you aren't much of a typist you will be learning both at once and together - somewhat entwined . . .

Ideally you want the letters popping into your mind as as if from nowhere as you hear the code - as if someone was spelling out words, so you are concentrating on the letters not the morse . . .

cb

I was using an app on my iPhone to learn code and got pretty far in it but one problem arised; I didn’t know what letter I typed. I had learned to press X key when I hear Y sound. It really didn’t help much, so I’m going to try writing it down, but I only hope I don’t end up in the same boat when writing it. I want to get where I can have a QSO without a keyboard or pen.

I seem to only be able to do a couple lessons a day without getting frustrated and giving up, so I’ll keep it there for now.

Heed what people are saying. I posted about 6 months ago that I had a great ear to finger connection using a iPad but zero sense what the letter was.

I'm past Koch. Using plain text and call signs I listened to the rhythm of each character, forcing myself to forget dits and dahs. Not writing or typing. At first it was mush, but with time the individual characters became familar and stood out and words became easy to get. Now at 17/17 I find myself waiting for the next character. I remember when 10/10 was impossible.

Lately, I listen to a call sign and then enter it, the same for short plain text. For longer plain text I may have to repeat several times and sometimes type behind as I listen.

Code is hard for me, I have never been good at copying spelled words or phone numbers. After 25 months of weekly practice I can rag chew at 17 wpm only typing call signs and names into the log.

It will come, take breaks, be patient. Each person seems to have a different speed for short memory sinking into long term memory and becoming a reflex. It is what it is.

I'm using some characters from the Palm Pilot Graffiti to speed-up writing the more complicated characters. It's a real time saver.

I suggest, to finish the 40 lessons by using the keyboard, otherwise the handwriting has to be copied to the computer afterwards.
After finishing lesson 40, try to copy QSOs from your receiver or from a websdr (www.websdr.org) and write it down to a sheet of paper. Google for the QRS frequencies in your country/region. Here in Europe these frequencies are 3555, 14055, 21055 and 28055 kHz. Some CW clubs offer training lessons/QSOs for beginners once a week. Try to listen to them and copy it.
Some people have a really horrible keying/timing. Better get used to it early. When keying by yourself, record it from time to time to make sure, your timing is ok.

Yes it is very hard to write fast enough to copy 25 wpm. (I'm trying to prepare for the Radiotelegraph Operator License Telegraphy Elements 1 & 2).

I find that, oddly, if I look away from the paper I don't have a problem keeping up and knowing the letters, but my handwriting looks even worse than normal!

There's something about not watching my hand write the characters down that really speeds up my cognition of the letters.

Not sure what to do with that information yet...but there it is.