How much reading do you do? How much of what you read, do you retain? Do you read fast? How do you read? Recently these are thoughts that have been occurring. Mostly about me but then I began to get curious about all of you. Up until recently I have been, and probably always will be, for somethings, a mouth reader. By that I mean I mouth the words as I reader almost like I am reading aloud, to myself.
However, recently I have returned to reading with just my eyes. It's much faster. What started this, is that Kindle has a ruler that you can customize and move up and down the page as you read. When I was 9, my mom taught me to read this way and I was getting good at, when one of my teachers stopped me from reading that way. I know, oh no, here he goes again blaming one of his teachers for stopping him from doing something but hear me out.
In fifth grade we were doing speed reading. It was timed reading and we had one minute to read as many words as possible. I was doing this and I was getting about 300 words a minute. I knew there were others in the class getting closer to 1000 or better, so I talked to my mom about and she showed me the trick of moving a card, or ruler down the page and reading with just your eyes. I began doing this and was doing well but then came the timed reading. I went from 300 to over a thousand in a matter of days. Of course my teacher came over to my partner and I, to see how this was possible. When she discovered that I was not reading aloud, she immediately said I had to read aloud from now on because there was no way I could be reading that fast. Simply because she couldn't hear me reading made me a liar. So for the next forty-two years, I chose to just read the same way, I had been taught by her. I mouthed the words. Trust me, I'm not really blaming her just remembering where it all began to change.
Now, after all these years of reading to myself, I am worried that I won't retain as much, or become as much apart of the story as I have in the past. The first book where I am fully using just my eyes to read is not a fair choice. I have seen the movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula that more closely follows the book, Dracula, so I don't know how much of my recall is memory from reading or memory from the movie.
My big concern with reading this fast, isn't just about will I remember it but will I get that personal connection with the characters in the story. When I read the Sword of Truth series, I really got to know the characters and fell in love with all of them and I really enjoyed them that way. I believe that the personal connection to the characters makes the story more enjoyable.
Author's note: I began writing this blog article over a week ago. In the intervening days, I have had the opportunity to read several more books. I haven't had as deep a personal connection with the characters in these recent books but that could be a result of the writing, it could be the personal connection I had to the story, or it could be just as simply as I am not really looking for as deep a connection anymore. In any case I believe that I have enjoyed the stories as much reading them quickly as I would have, reading them slowly.
Work always has some update that needs to be read so I do read a lot at work. But I have to read it a few times to make it really stick in my mind. I have to follow the instructions that are laid out. But when I read for enjoyment, I do read with my eyes. Although I also mouth along with what I'm reading if I am really getting into the story. The Harry Potter books and books by Nelson DeMille are an example.
ReplyDeleteI don't read as much as I use to when I was younger. I really need to correct that one day. I can be a fast reader, but I usually read at a moderate pace so I can catch all the words. I do retain some of the story when I am reading, especially if it is a really good story.
Interesting. I don't read with my mouth moving, but I actually feel like I hear a voice in my head reading the words to me. I also think there are things that I like to read faster and things that I like to read slower. A news article or journal publication, I like to read fast and get the gist of what is going on and then maybe go back if I wanted to recall a detail. When it comes to fiction, I actually prefer reading slower because that voice in my head that is reading to me is able to be more expressive, which is probably why I like audiobooks so much, especially when there is a good narrator. I think it depends on the outcome of what you are looking to achieve with the reading. Sometimes if I really need to learn something, the reading is slower than ever so that full comprehension can set in. That's when I read with a highlighter and take side notes. But if I'm reading for enjoyment, I want to set a pace that allows for enjoyment to take place instead of thinking I just have to get this done. I do applaud your challenging yourself to try something different. It helps us grow.
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