Most keyboard advice online is written for programmers — people optimizing for modifier-key combos and macro layers. If your day is mostly prose, your priorities are different: sound, feel over thousands of keystrokes, and not fighting your hands by hour three.
Switches matter more than you think
Linear switches (no bump, no click) feel fastest but give you no feedback, which sounds fine until you're two coffees in and typo-ing constantly. Tactile switches — a small bump partway down — give your fingers a signal the keypress registered, which for long writing sessions tends to matter more than raw speed.
The best keyboard is the one you stop noticing after the first paragraph.
Layout: smaller is usually better for writers
A full-size board with a number pad pushes your mouse hand further from center, which adds up over a writing day. A 75% or tenkeyless layout keeps everything closer without losing arrow keys or function row, both of which you'll actually use while editing.
Wireless is worth it now
A few years ago wireless meant noticeable input lag. That's mostly solved — a decent Bluetooth or 2.4GHz board today keeps your desk clear and lets you write from the couch without dragging a cable along.
What I'd actually buy
- A 75% or 65% layout board with hot-swappable switches, so you can try tactile vs. linear without buying twice
- Brown or tactile-equivalent switches to start
- PBT keycaps — they don't get shiny and slick the way cheaper ABS caps do after a few months
None of this needs to cost much. A sub-$100 hot-swap board will tell you more about your own preferences in a week than any review will.