If You Want to Be a Good Reader, Interact With the Author
The crucial task of engaging with the stories you love (or hate).
“Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.”
—Mark Haddon
There’s nothing like reading a good book. It could be discussing something controversial or universally accepted. But a good book always keeps you hooked all the way through—a desire most writers have.
Most of us forget what we read not long after reading it, though. Even the best stories fade from our minds. Nights scrunched up on the couch next to soft light are lost to ineffective reading.
The reason it’s ineffective? You weren’t engaging with the author.
Many readers assume the act of reading with a pen (or pencil) in hand is counterproductive. They insist on holding to the idea that anything hindering their flow doesn’t belong anywhere in sight.
On one hand, trying to pause every three seconds to circle an unfamiliar word, highlight a sentence or two, or underline a phrase does slow down the reading process. After all, who wants to take forever to read a few pages?
