> He didn't need his pen and so wrote more freely (at the apeed of thought).

Probably surprising for some, but it's possible (and pretty usual) to write at the speed of thought with a pen.

Your statement intrigues me, for I have always found it impossible. I dabbled in short-hand some years ago, and still couldn't keep up. I type very quickly and still can't always keep up.

How does this work, especially the "pretty usual" part? Or is this discrepancy due to ack of shared understanding around what the speed of thought is?