I find typing can be helpful. I think more about certain aspects of the problem as I type, so I often discover edge cases I hadn't thought about or potential performance pitfalls.

I guess it's a bit like navigating using only the map in the war room vs navigating on the ground without a map. The ideal route comes through a combination of both, and typing allows for the latter point of view.

Though after typing for a while, I'll take a step back and think about the overall solution again, going over it in my mind. Then back to typing.

That said, I gotta have a responsive editor.