texting techniques

I have a smart phone now, so smart in fact that I'm sure there are many clever features that I have yet to discover.  It's sad to think that it's called a smart phone because it't smarter than I am. I have learned to take pictures and was actually able to share some family shots with a girlfriend at lunch today. I felt so cool. However, I am still struggling with texting.  Mind you, I'm in favor of texting and I have found many circumstances in which it is very convenient to text,.but I have yet to figure out how people text with their thumbs. My texting technique is definitely old school, hunt and peck, but even when I flip to the larger screen my thumbs just don't work to create accurate messages. I'm not sure this is a skill worth pursuing.