A custom .vimrc file can save lots of time and make editing easier. Put the following commands in ~/.vimrc:

set nohlsearch 
set autoindent
set tabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set ruler
set showcmd
syntax on
set bg=dark
set spell " enables live spell checking
nnoremap <up> gk
nnoremap <down> gj
inoremap <up> <C-o>gk
inoremap <down> <C-o>gj