Read.Learn.Write - Practicing Reading, Learning and Writing

[Guest Post] So you want to be a Writer: A Personal Take on Practicing the Craft

On May 20, 2012 · 8 Comments ·

This is a guest post by Callie R. Feyen.

A few months after my husband and I brought our beautiful baby girl home from the hospital, we were at a family gathering showing off her blue eyes and long lashes in between sips of coffee and bites of cookies. As friends and relatives took turns holding Hadley, and rubbing her belly in an attempt to win a giggle, one man, I’ll call him Josh, asked me, “So what do you do all day?”

I didn’t interpret the question as a challenge, though I was severely sleep deprived and didn’t have all my wits about me. I told Josh that Hadley and I went to play dates, ran errands, and spent time at the library together. “And when she goes down for a nap,” I continued, “I write.”

Josh laughed. Sleep deprived or not, I understood enough from his body language and the look on his face that he thought I was wasting my time. “Well,” he said as he prepared to leave, “that’s nice to have a hobby before you go back to work.”

Standing in Josh’s wake in my uncomfortable dress and [...]

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Are Education, Socialization, and Indoctrination Positive or Negative “Ions?”

On May 18, 2012 · 2 Comments ·

This is a continuation of our “Why Read” discussion. Remember, we started by defining the three broad reasons to read. Then we talked about pleasure and education. Last week, we continued our discussion by looking at two beautiful Greek words that give our reading perspective.

Today, I want to talk about three concepts: education, socialization, and indoctrination. Each word carries a little different connotation. If you were to ask Noam Chomsky, he’d tell you they’re all potentially related depending on how they are deployed and how the target reacts to the technique. To a certain extent, I would agree. Your insurance policy against being unduly influenced by education, socialization, and indoctrination is your reading. Let me use three examples to show you what I mean:

An Example of Education, Socialization and Indoctrination

1. EDUCATION: You teach a kindergartner his ABCs in a couple of different languages so he has a basis for comparison and understanding.

2. SOCIALIZATION: You teach a kindergartner his ABCs in English only.

3. INDOCTRINATION: You teach a kindergartner his ABCs in English while you ridicule other alphabets like the Greek alphabet as looking like nothing but gibberish.

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[Guest Post] Reading Banned Books – Oh, My!

On May 16, 2012 · 6 Comments ·

This is a guest post by Ruth O’Neil.

If you are an avid reader, teacher, or a parent, you are probably aware that there is a list of banned books. Books are banned by school boards, parents, teachers, bookstores, and even governments. This list does change from time to time since new books are always being published and people change their minds about what others should and shouldn’t read. I find it completely entertaining to read these lists. Sometimes I even find myself chuckling at the titles and the reasons given. The first time I looked at the list I was surprised to see how many of the books I have read. While the list does contain book titles that I question why made the list at all, there are other books that I won’t read. The reason I won’t read them is because of my belief system. However, I do take the time to find out something about the books before I “ban” them from my own personal reading list.

I read a lot. I review books for magazines and individual authors. I am part of a book club that meets once a month. I homeschool my children, which forces me to read even more. Do I like every [...]

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[Guest Post] Why Read in a Foreign Language

On May 14, 2012 · 6 Comments ·

This is a guest post by Chris Ciolli.

When I finally made the move to declare Spanish as a second major during university, part of my self-imposed language-studies-in-earnest plan included reading anything and everything I could find in Spanish: not only so-called classics, but also newspapers, shampoo bottles, signage and travel-guides.

Years later, here I am in Barcelona, going through almost exactly the same process, but with Barcelona’s local language, Catalan, in the meanwhile doing my best to continue consuming books in Spanish.

Why do I do it? Because reading in Spanish and Catalan offer a chance to learn vocabulary and syntax that are less common in spoken language; because reading provides the language-learner with a real and useful insight into the culture associated with the language itself.

Reading Great Works in their Original Language

Who hasn’t dreamed of reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ 100 Years of Solitude in its original Spanish, or Rimbaud’s “A Dream for Winter” in French? Everyone has heard about what’s “lost in translation”, but only a select few who make the effort to read a work in its original language can truly [...]

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sunlight breaking through leaf of liquidambar styraciflua

[Guest Post] A Teen Writer’s Breakthrough

On May 13, 2012 · 1 Comment ·

This is a guest post by Alyssa Liljequist.

“I’ve had a breakthrough!” It sounds like something an inventor or mad scientist would say. But writers or want-to-be-published writers can have breakthroughs as well. The first published article for a freelance writer is memorable. So is the first sale. For some, that is one and the same but for others, such as myself, it is quite different. I was fourteen when I began writing for an online magazine for ladies entitled Growing in Grace. This was my first foray into writing for a magazine. I remember it clearly because, well, I’m only 18 now. I was not used to writing nonfiction since I was formerly a fiction writer for the most part. For two years, I gained experience in writing articles on various topics and writing them on short notice. Though I was not paid for being a contributor, the experience has paid for itself. During my time as a contributor to Growing in Grace, I wasn’t doing any freelance work.

At 16, I finally decided to submit to a writing newsletter that paid and that accepted submissions from teens. You might be wondering what advice [...]

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Writing Book Reviews – An Application

On May 11, 2012

Recently, I was honored to host a guest post by Dianna L. Gunn. In the post, she talked about how to write book reviews. Upon reading her post it struck me, I have never attempted to review a book. I read, I take notes, I incorporate my notes into blog posts, but never have I reviewed. What a disservice to the authors I truly appreciate! Today I’ll remedy that. This post is my application of Dianna’s review guidelines to review Andrew Blackman’s Award Winning Novel, On the Holloway Road.

1. Read slowly.

I read On the Holloway Road over the course of a week. The book is 202 pages of reading bliss. It took some effort to hold myself back from gobbling it down even faster.

2. Take notes.

I bought the book in paperback so I took the opportunity to jot down notes in the margin and underline paragraphs of interest.

Here’s an example of my sloppy but practical underlining:

3. Deconstruct the book to figure out what works.

I deconstructed the book [...]

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Two Beautiful Greek Words That Give Our Reading Perspective

On May 9, 2012

Today I want to talk about two ancient Greek words, paedeia and eudaimonia, and what they mean to your reading. These two Greek words carry the weight of tradition. Both of these words have been the subject of philosophical discussion for centuries. That, of course, tells us they can mean just about anything you imagine (no offense to philosophy majors, it was my favorite class as an undergraduate).

Paedeia

Let’s start with a dictionary definition:

training of the physical and mental faculties in such a way as to produce a broad enlightened mature outlook harmoniously combined with maximum cultural development

English borrowed the Greek word and rooted it into words like encyclopedia, but that is really a bastardized use of the word when you consider how we use encyclopedias today.

Paedeia, [...]

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[Guest Post] The Cognitive Benefits of Reading

On May 7, 2012

This is a guest post by Anita Dualeh.

Reading is good for the brain. Though this would probably never be one’s primary reason for reading, it is an interesting byproduct of being an avid reader. The cognitive benefits of reading may also suggest some compelling reasons why we might want to help others – either children or struggling adults – to advance in their reading skills. (Kudos to all the reading mentors out there.)

The following findings are from an article published in the Journal of Direct Reading Instruction in which a professor of education and a professor of psychology examine empirical evidence about the contribution of independent reading to one’s general knowledge, reading ability and verbal intelligence. Though key findings in the article included both the impact of reading on children and adults, this blog post focuses on findings from studies with adults.

Growth in Verbal Skills

One benefit of reading a lot is a well-developed vocabulary. Most people acquire vocabulary through exposure rather than explicit instruction. We learn new words by seeing them or hearing them used in context. Since oral language lacks the richness of written [...]

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Special Considerations: The Novel

On May 4, 2012

Time’s up. I’ve stalled long enough. It’s time to talk about the novel, the genre I spend the most time with. I want to use a combination of three sources to do it: Proust, Kundera, and Forester.

Proust

“Every reader, as he reads, is actually the reader of himself. The writer’s work is only a kind of optical instrument he provides the reader so he can discern what he might never have seen in himself without this book. The reader’s recognition in himself of what the book says is the proof of the book’s truth.” Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust most famously wrote a multi part monster known as “In Search of Lost Time.” Today, though, I’m more interested in his work in defining the genre of the novel.

His quote, is interesting because it defines the component parts of a novel in two sentences. He says you need a reader that actually reads your work and you need a writer that actually writes what he intends to be read. He also explains that you need a reader with a willingness to bring their own discerning vision to the work. To Proust, a [...]

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[Guest Post] Re-read: Become a Better Reader and Writer

On May 2, 2012

This is a guest post by Chris Ciolli.

I don’t know about other readers out there, but the first time I read a book, it’s a scrambling sprint to the finish line. I have to know what happens in the end, and I want to know as soon as possible. In reading groups at school, I was one of those children who always got in trouble for reading ahead. To this day, even when reading nonfiction, during a first read, I’m likely to rush through the book to whatever it is I’ve decided is the “good stuff.”

What does that mean? It means my first read is a sort of “gist” reading, where I get a good general idea of what a book is about. Sadly, it means I miss out on some things, many of them (vivid imagery, beautiful syntax, character development) worth noticing and reflecting on both as a reader and a writer.

Fortunately, there’s no rule that says I can’t return to a text a second time to savor it slowly and respectfully after a race-to-the-finish first reading. Re-reading gives speedy readers (myself included) a second chance, an opportunity [...]

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My name is Brandon Monk. I am an attorney in a small town in Texas.

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A third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book after college. Eighty percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. (Source: Jenkins Group).

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Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of Read.Learn.Write

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The What About Bob Approach to Reading

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20 Things You Can Do Today to Become a Better Reader

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