Better Reading, Better Writing
Whenever you find a problem in your writing, be it in the nuts and bolts of structure or in leaden dialogue or dreary flashbacks, you'll always find an answer by studying your favorite writers and seeing how they handle the problem.
Many writers keep notebooks into which they copy outstanding phrases or even sentences from their reading. They don't ever copy these into their own work but use them as a learning tool. Reading is always the key to great writing.
Not all readers write--though if you scan the number of e-books added daily to Amazon, you may doubt the truth of that--but all writers and editors read voraciously.
This weekend I've been playing on the bite size Staples speedreader program.It's a fun way to check out your reading speed against the national average. You read a short passage, answer three comprehension questions and get a percentage comparison. And yes, I'll admit it, it's a wonderful excuse for procrastination.
If you're then looking to up your speed, try Spritzing. Content is streamed word by word, so your eyes spend no time moving around the page. This makes reading far easier, especially on small screens. Horizontal lines and hash marks focus your eyes on a red letter in each word, so you absorb the content you are reading far faster. You can also practice in different languages.
Interestingly after a few minutes on the Spritz website, I upped my score on the speedreader by nearly 40%.
Obviously the score would be better as I had already taken the test previously and knew what to expect but Spritzing led to a more relaxed yet more observant reading style. Worth a look especially when it comes to editing your work prior to submission.
Try it out. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Post your score if you see improvements in your speed reading.
But if you prefer to read slowly and savor every word, tell us that too. How do you like to read?
* * * *
And as it's St Patrick's
Day, celebrate by treating yourself to a rollicking read from The Wild Rose
Press and practice your new skills on that. Here's a well reviewed historical
with an Irish theme: Irish
Destiny by Donna
Dalton.
Find the speedreader comparison check at
Start Spritzing at
And please remember to
let us know if you'll be speed reading in the future in the comments below.
Anne Knol
