How do you read?

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ashenpetitelie

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I'm so editorial with everything I read, it's ridiculous. I'm always questioning how realistic it is, if the grammar and punctuation is correct, if the structure is okay, if the characters all stay in character, etc.

Then again, when I run across a truly exceptional book, I know because my inner editor shuts up.

:)
 

Nivarion

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The way I read is really weird. I don't acknowledge the words unless something really different just happened. My brain takes them and then I see the place and setting the characters are at, sort of like a dream.

It takes me several minutes of reading to get to this stage, and I find it highly annoying to get pulled out of it.
 

Xelebes

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A few pages at a time - like three to five pages a day. I like books that take me months to read. That being said, I tend to dislike page-turners and enjoy a more ponderous style of writing.
 

S.J.

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I'm a slow reader, so I never really need to go back - I absorb everything the first time around. But if I come across a sentence I really, really like I read it several times.

Also, I'm another subconscious skimmer. I also USED to peek at the ending before I got to it, but I'm trying not to do that any longer (that will require some strength of will, though, when I get around to reading Mockingjay).
 
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I read the same way I write. One word at a time.
I read groups of words, and really fast, with high comprehension, which is how I can read an entire novel in a day.

I skip ahead with print books, even though I feel kinda guilty for spoiling the book for myself that way. With my ereader? Not so much. Every page turn runs down the battery so it stops me sneaking peeks at the final chapter.
 
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Priene

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There's a good test here of an individual's ability to read groups of words.
 

dawinsor

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I read straight through or stop entirely. If I start skipping or skimming, it's a sign the book is boring me, and then I almost always toss the book aside.
 

Ken

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... I go back and reread paragraphs from chpts to refresh my memory particularly with names. I'm really bad with names, even MC's. I sometimes reread each chpt in a novel after finishing them when I don't understand what's going on in them, as I did with Gargauntua and Pantagrel which made my head spin in confusion :-(

Overall, I guess my reading comprehension is quite low, probably on a sixth grade level or there about. Ain't too surprising as I hated English class back when I was in school and paid little attention to the teacher. My loss :-(

The effect of this on my writing is that I write like a child, very simple and plain. Hopefully no one will take notice. Am sure I can count on your own secrecy in the matter ;-)
 

DancingMaenid

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A few pages at a time - like three to five pages a day. I like books that take me months to read. That being said, I tend to dislike page-turners and enjoy a more ponderous style of writing.

Interesting point. You know, even with page-turners, I like to pace myself a bit. I find that if I read something too quickly, it feels rushed and individual plot developments don't always sink in. I prefer a chapter or two a night with most mainstream fiction or "page-turner" genres, unless I'm at the very end.

And then there are some books that are nice to just savor a little bit at a time. Sometimes I'll keep a book in the background that I just read a little bit at a time of, while also reading other books at a faster pace.
 

Stlight

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At one time I read straight through, then I got my hands and eyes on a fantasy trilogy - 900 pages and every one was dead at the end. Bummmmmmer. It almost turned me off of fantasy, instead, if I'm reading a new author I read the last 1/4 of the last chapter to be sure someone survives with a decent future (right, not into horror.) If the book is by an author I trust I'll read it straight through from page one.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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I did some reading over the weekend and, with this thread in mind, started paying more attention to what I actually do when I'm reading. I tend to get distracted quite a bit. Not because the writing's bad, because that's how my brain is wired. A certain word or phrase or setting will jog something in my memory, and I'll wind up staring into space for a while, musing on something else entirely, and then go back to the book and wind up skipping around trying to find my place again.
 

Paranormal_Writer

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This is a really interesting question!

I read slow, taking in every single word, from beginning to end, but It can take me AGES to finish a book. I never read a whole book in one go. The quickest I will finish a book is in a day (if it’s really good) and the longest can be a month (when I'm enjoying it, but not overly.)

I'm also a very picky reader. If I start something and it hasn't grabbed me within the first few pages then I will put it down and NEVER pick it up again.

My writing style is also similar. SLOW - I'm also a perfectionist, going back and editing as I go along. I also take lots of little breaks hehe.
 

erin_michelle

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From beginning to end, at a moderate speed, and in complete silence. If I come across an oddly worded sentence, I may read it a few times--and possibly rewrite it in my head. I also have a habit of skimming down a few paragraphs if I know something interesting is about to happen.
 

KTC

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By this, I mean, do you plough through a novel without pause, or are you in the habit of stopping, going back a paragraph or two, and re-reading it? And if the latter, do you do it constantly? And why do you (think you) do it? Is it because you don’t grasp meaning quickly?

The reason for my question is a further question, about what ‘that type of reading’ might signify, in terms of one’s writing skills.

I don't think a type of reading would signify a writing skill...I'll say that right away. No way I could be convinced otherwise.

I am the slowest reader I know...literally. I read every single word...even 'the' 'and' and the like. I do not skip a single word. And I often re-read a sentence or a paragraph if I find it particularly engaging...pretty. I love words and get lost in them all the time. I will re-read a sentence 3 or 4 times if I think it's lovely.
 

lvae

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I usually skim read books in the beginning, and if it begins to really win me over, I'll slow down and read properly (or I might start skimming the whole thing, and start skipping pages. Usually by then, I don't make it to the end).

I'm a very quick reader overall. It takes me an forty five minutes to an hour to skim a book, and at most three hours to read an average-sized novel properly.

Books that I really like, I'll usually re-read the whole book three to four times after initially skimming. Or if I really like it, I'll read it until it literally falls apart.
 

KTC

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I usually skim read books in the beginning, and if it begins to really win me over, I'll slow down and read properly (or I might start skimming the whole thing, and start skipping pages. Usually by then, I don't make it to the end).

I'm a very quick reader overall. It takes me an forty five minutes to an hour to skim a book, and at most three hours to read an average-sized novel properly.

Why are you a writer if you 'skim' books? I don't get it. Don't you value the written word enough to read a book.
 

kuwisdelu

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I don't think a type of reading would signify a writing skill...I'll say that right away. No way I could be convinced otherwise.

I am the slowest reader I know...literally. I read every single word...even 'the' 'and' and the like. I do not skip a single word. And I often re-read a sentence or a paragraph if I find it particularly engaging...pretty. I love words and get lost in them all the time. I will re-read a sentence 3 or 4 times if I think it's lovely.

I read like Kev.

I always get confused by people who say they hate going back and re-reading a paragraph. To me, that means it was a good paragraph.
 

Ruv Draba

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I'll generally read through continuously. If I have a lot of free time, I'll gulp through books. If not, it'll be a few pages a night. If I really like a scene or I think it should have been done differently, I'll sometimes return to reread it.
 

adagietto

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I read, and I read until I am finished, no matter what gets in my way. I will re-read paragraphs or entire pages if the language is lovely or the scene is amazing. I will linger on a page or a line for a very long time if a character has said or done something I love.

If I forget to eat dinner, then the book is really good C:
 

Maxx

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The way I read is really weird. I don't acknowledge the words unless something really different just happened. My brain takes them and then I see the place and setting the characters are at, sort of like a dream.

It takes me several minutes of reading to get to this stage, and I find it highly annoying to get pulled out of it.

That doesn't seem odd to me. I read in a trance. I read everything in the same trance-like state and sometimes it seems like my particular trance is only a parallel to the text. I do stop and re-read word-by-word if something seems really swell or cool or amazing or puzzling or confusing or interesting or idiotic.
I used to read Tom Clancy non-fiction books just for the pure shocks of pure idiocy they contained. One fun thing about trance-reading is you get a different trance with each reading so you can re-read good books over and over if you feel like avoiding the shock of idiocy for a bit.
Another odd thing about trance reading is that fiction and non-fiction don't seem all that different since both are experienced in the trance state.

I'm never in a trance on the internet. Here's a trance-breaking bit of idiocy (this a from a BBC radio series Deep Trouble which features a Tom Clancy character):

++++ In an increasingly uncertain defence environment, a deadly new arms race has begun. In an attempt to secure her boundaries, Britain has deployed the very latest sub-sea military technology++++

++++ Beneath and beyond the front line, these are the adventures of the HMS Goliath. A 55,000 tonne M-Class nuclear stealth submarine, prowling 5,000 metres below the surface++++

++++ Manned by idiots++++
 
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Maxx

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I read like Kev.

I always get confused by people who say they hate going back and re-reading a paragraph. To me, that means it was a good paragraph.

Yeah, re-reading is always a pleasure, even when you're re-reading something because it seems unusually inane or idiotic or confusing.
 

Sevvy

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I read like Kev.

I always get confused by people who say they hate going back and re-reading a paragraph. To me, that means it was a good paragraph.

I get where you're coming from, but usually if I'm re-reading a paragraph, it's because it was poorly written and I need to re-read it to make sense out of it. I don't usually need to re-read the good parts because they stick with me, I remember them.
 

StandJustSo

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I read from beginning to end, with no skip forwards. I can't imagine reading the end first - kind of defeats the purpose of reading the story, to my mind.

I read every single word, but at a little over 600 words per minute. I have no interest in taking any kind of speed reading training or anything - I don't want to read faster. It's hard enough having something to read as it is.
 

WritingOnFull

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I tend to read most books right through, unless I confused myself when reading (it happens).

Most books don't take me more than 3 or 4 days before they are done, as I usually get wrapped up in them.

I will admit to skipping lines/paragraphs when reading though. Sometimes, I just don't care too much about the description of a room or what an individual person if doing, if it doesn't pertain too much to the broader level of the book.
 
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