Chat

[♥Booknerdswift♥, Writing Lover I]

chat!

[Stephen]

Today, I understand, has been designated "National Speed Reading Day"

I was quite enamored of the idea when I first heard about it back in the 70's, particularly in that it had been endorsed by both President Kennedy and President Carter. I even went so far as to take a day course offered at a local college. Following the course though, and after numerous attempts, I realized that speed reading just wasn't for me. The drop in comprehension that accompanied any significant increase in speed just felt wrong somehow.

What put the final nail in THAT particular coffin was an article that I read somewhat in rebuttal to the growing enthusiasm for speed reading called "The Joys of Slow Reading." The article pointed out that authors often struggle for hours, days and sometimes (in the case of Flaubert) years over just the right word choices and that there's a wealth of secondary meanings lurking just below the surface if people just take the time to observe and appreciate them.

Of course only a slow reader would note the self-rebutting nature of an article touting the joys of slow reading appearing in The Reader's Digest

When it comes to the prose of an F. Scott Fitzgerald I'll stick with my normal reading style and will generally even slow down to take in the majesty of the language and the imagery.

But with the increasing number of self-publishing authors and the corresponding prevalence of poorly constructed, poorly crafted books, out there, perhaps it's time to try speed reading again.