In the world of steno and court reporting, it's important to know your theory inside and out, backward and frontward so that when words come up that you've never heard of, you can at least write them phonetically.
That said, when other common words or phrases keep coming up day after day that X-Theory doesn't have a brief for, a smart court reporter goes looking for a brief (or makes up their own). Go with what makes sense to you
or what you automatically went to write.
Here are my favorite brief sites for when nothing comes to mind.
The Brief Machine Have to register for free to use this tool. Well worth the effort! While you're there, check out out past issues of StenoLife Newsletter for some great tips and insight.
Steno Tips Great free resource. You can enter the term you're looking for in the search box.
Briefpedia Good and free for when the briefs you find conflict or are too hard to stroke.
iSteno Brief Machine for iPhones costs $6.99. Haven't used this myself, though.
On a personal note, I turned in another 190 Q&A on Thursday, and it came back as a 94.2% -- not quite a pass. On the other hand, I know that I'll get it really soon. I can taste it!
