Reading Tips

[shortstoryfan]

I'm not sure where this topic should go, so it has ended up here.

For a long time, I have had a lot of issues regarding my ability to read/write. I think I'm good at both, but I want to improve. I think I'm good enough at both that I'm really not sure where to go to for help. I think most people think I do well enough, or that I should already know how to do these things, so it's very frustrating. Any advice?

[Paulclem]

Is it reading or writing you want to improve, or both? If it's reading, do you mean the speed, comprehension etc, or are you after recommendations of good books?

If it's writing, is it the technical aspecst such as grammar, spelling etc, or the layout on a textual level, or how to generate ideas and improve and revise your craft?

[shortstoryfan]

Thank you so much for the response!

I would like to improve both. For reading, I am okay if I am a slow reader (I don't really know if I'm slow or fast), but would like to be able to have better comprehension...or maybe analytical skill is a better way of putting it.

And I don't think I'm great at the technical aspects of writing, but to most people, I do pretty well. I once went to the writing center at school and they said they didn't really think they could help me much, and that my paper wasn't the usual kind they received. It was actually pretty frustrating for me. I think maybe I need help with structuring an argument. I think my reasoning facilities may be deficient in some way. Or maybe my ideas aren't developed enough? I just know that I feel something is missing--not a very big something, but something that separates me and my goal.

[Paulclem]

You can improve your reading speed with practice if you need to. Most people read by bouncing along a line taking in word after word - which we can become very good at. To increase the efficiency of this, don't focus on each word, but run your eyes across the line. Using a finger, or something to underline the line helps at first. With a bit of practice you can easily increase your reading speed.

As for comprehension, it depends upon what you are reading for. I find reading texts that I'm supposed to read, rather than what I want to read, harder. If you are studying an academic book, read the first sentence of a paragraph and formulate a question about what the contents are - and perhaps note it in the margin, (or paper if you don't want to write on the book). Well written academic books should inform you of what the subject of each paragraph is. Then read the paragraph and answer your own question. The key to comprehension when studying is interaction with the text. Alternatively, you could do a mind map of what you are reading - but be sure not to just copy what the text says but ideally draw a significant image of write a phrase that sums it up in your own words.

Structuring an argument is difficult and does come with experience. If I am struggling, then I plan out what I want to write in a lot of detail, but only using keywords/ phrases, or a mindmap. (You don't want to write your essay in your planning, but make your notes relevant and significant).

As well as this, you should use discourse markers to steer your argument. These are phrases which refer to your argument from paragraph to paragraph such as, In contrast to this... On the other hand... Suporting this argument etc.

Here's a list, but you can find more online.

http://www.ku-eichstaett.de/fileadmin/160119/SS_Discourse_Markers.pdf

When you have planned your essay, and you know what your thoughts and conclusions are, plan in your discourse markers for variety. Don't rely on remembering them, as they can become repetitive.

[shortstoryfan]

Hmm. I think I am now certain that no one really understands what I'm talking about.

:)

[Paulclem]

Not no-one - only me. Do you want to expand?

[shortstoryfan]

I think I pretty much get formulaic writing. I'm not amazing at it, but I'm not really amazing at anything, but I do it better than a lot of people do. What I want to achieve is something that seems more organic. Something fresh, maybe creative? I think you can only do so much with an academic essay--or maybe I want to do something different with that kind of essay.

[shortstoryfan]

I guess I see formulaic writing as a starting ground to what I'm talking about--maybe I need to improve my formulaic writing more before I work on this kind of thing. But the problem is that my formulaic writing is good enough that most people can't really give me very helpful feedback. Maybe I need to take some kind of classes dealing with logic?

[Paulclem]

I posted when you said you needed help structuring an argument. If it's not essays you need help with perhaps you should read around different approaches such as modernist techniques.

[shortstoryfan]

It's definitely an essay I want help with. I don't know what else you would call it, actually. It's just difficult for me to believe that the cookie cutter way of writing is the best way of writing. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy.

[Paulclem]

It's a start, but it depends upon what your essay is. Academic essays follow a particular format, and so you have to answer the question primarily, but within that is the extra style you can add in.

If that were me, I'd sketch out the essay to make sure that I'd answered the question first. This is the cookie cutter part, but it has to follow a format to do the job. Once you've established your argument, the language and turn of phrase is up to you, and that's where the creativity can come in.