I'm not surprised by how much you read....but when I know you also workout, have a job, write good novels, and produce/edit booktube videos.......that's when I start considering that superheroes might be walking among us.
I totally feel you on the "I just want to read all the things!!!" thing. I'm not someone who needs to hit big numbers, but there are so many books I'm desperate to read that hitting middle age sent me into a crisis. I suddenly realized I won't get to read ALL THE THINGS if I don't read ALL THE TIME!! 😅 I switched out a lot of my social media time for ebook-reading time about a year ago, and that really increased the number of books I read a month, but I'm still barely making a dent in my to-read list. 😂
I am a very slow reader who creates a visual image of the characters, places, and geography as the book progresses. When I reflect on the novels that live in my mind a mental image also appears. Scenes from Once Upon a River, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, The House of the Seven Gables, or My Ántonia are all cataloged in my mind with the story. A bit quirky, perhaps, but I don’t know how else to explain it. Thank you, Katie, for telling us how you approach reading-every tip was interesting. I appreciate you bringing joy into my day!
As far as reading multiple books at a time, I almost always read at least three books at a time and I will read one book for a week and then go to the next one for the next week and so on, then on the weekend I will read several pages of each so all of them are fresh in my mind. You also mentioned how watching or listening to people talking about books makes you want to read more. That is definitely true however, the passion and joy that is so apparent when you speak about books is infectious and not everyone who speaks about books gives the feeling that one is truly missing something if they are not reading a lot of books. So please know that your videos are a gift to anyone who loves to read.
The visualisation/visual imagination topic is a fascinating one especially since I just assumed everyone automatically made mental pictures of characters, setting etc. Reading is indeed an extraordinary multi-faceted thing! Thanks Katie. Another great video!
I used to struggle to finish reading books. Now, I've set my reading time to before bed, which works really for me! Also, it's very good for sleep to read a few pages of physical copies in bed before going to sleep.
I love this video 😊 ! I started to read more when I started to read in the subway while going to work. Also, spending less time watching TV and youtube permetted me to spend more time reading, thus reading more
As a kid I read a lot of books, however sometimes I would take a day off from school just to read - a habit that made my first stab at uni troublesome. As an adult I cannot take a day off to read anymore so I guess I don't read as much as I did then. The other habit determining how much I read is that now I only very rarely read something published in the last five years, whereas as a young man I read a lot of BOMC selections as well as a lot of NYT bestsellers. Additionally, today I read what I want regardless of page length but in the past I preferred shorter things that boosted the monthly totals.
Thanks for shouting out my video! Reading books for review feels work adjacent in having a wide industry knowledge for publishing, but booktube does make me want to read as well! It is so motivating. And then there are the books you read for work that you can't really talk about. I can read fast because of uni but I actually don't think I do for the most part unless it is a submission for work -- mostly I end up reading medium level but making more time to read, which is why I read so much in some people's eyes. We are the exact same, with visual memory that is quite hazy though? And then no visual imagination. I like audiobooks but I don't really sit down and listen to one and it's mostly just when I am cooking or walking. But equally, I LOVE music so often music wins > audiobooks as I read physically so much.
I usually either read in silence or have music on without words. I struggle to read with music with lyrics, but I sometimes listen to Chopin or Studio Ghibli soundtracks while reading or working.
I’m so glad you mentioned playing a video game when you’re listening to audio books. I love to play solitaire on my phone when I’m absorbed in an audio book, for some reason I find that combination heavenly. I also love to knit and listen to audio books.
Brilliant video! This is all so interesting. I am a slow reader but have an incredible visual imagination. This visualisation experience is enhanced even more if I watch a TV series on the book and then reread the book. The TV characters and settings will then be absolutely paramount in my mind.
I’m loving catching up with your videos. This was quite thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing. I’m a slowish reader but I really do visualise the world I’m reading about. In fact, if I can’t visualise it, a lot of the pleasure is taken away. Very interesting that you don’t need that and it allows you to read quicker. It’s funny how we are all so different and experiencing books in very personal ways. Your job as an editor sounds really interesting. I’m looking forward to reading your novels.
It’s really interesting to hear about other people’s reading habits and experiences. Thanks for sharing! I also don’t have a ton of visual imagination, and now I’m wondering if it impacts my reading speed. As someone who also reads a decent variety of things, I also get what you’re saying about wanting to read everything, and I agree it helps with preventing reading slumps 😅
This is a wonderful video and highlights some of my own reading practices. Something that I do is to have a short term, mid term and long term read going simultaneously. I am a part of a book club that does deep reads that take anywhere from 6-12 weeks. If I have finished my allotted reading for the fortnight I pause and jump into some other books. I will have a reading goal - like this year I want to read an Australian novel each month, and will jump into that. And I like to have a book/series that I listen to as an audiobook during commutes and exercise (Neopolitan Series atm). I have Wednesdays off work and often do a day of chores that day, so like to listen to an audiobook, and can often finish a shorter novel in that day. Some months you look back at how many books you have engaged with and can be pretty amazing how much you have gotten through, without it ever feeling like hard work. Really loved this video.
I loved hearing about your approach to reading. I'm glad to have been introduced to your channel! Thanks for the mention, and I'm glad you enjoyed my videos 🥰
I am quite a slow reader, but I don`t have much of a visual imagination. Similarly to what you said in the video, I also get only a hazy picture about things in my head and it doesn`t happen automatically, it takes an effort and slows me down even more, so usually I won`t even bother. However, I hear sounds in my minds ear easily while I`m reading. I have some extremely vivid and unforgettable aural memories from some books - like for instance scenes from Hardy`s "Tess of the D`Urbervilles". Also emotional and kinesthetic connection to the words I`m reading is really important to me. If I don`t feel it I struggle to even understand what exactly is being said. I don`t know why that is, but for some reason simply reading the words on the page doesn`t always mean that they will translate into meaning in my head. At least it doesn`t happen fast. I need to hear the words and feel them, so many times I read out loud to myself. I guess that also takes more time compared to reading only with your eyes and mind. I don`t think reading speed necessarily depends on whether you visualize or not. It seems to be more connected to your learning style and how your brain works... Anyway, that`s how it seems to me. :) It is definitely fascinating how differently we read, think and experience the world.
I found what you said about visualisation very interesting. I do have a visual memory, but when I read I never see in my mind's eye what the characters look like or the landscape, no matter how detailed the author describes it.Somehow I've always thought this might be a flaw in my way of reading, that I would just have to try harder to see what the author wants me to see.However, with books that I've seen an adaptation of that I liked, I often see the characters from the adaptation in my mind's eye when I read or reread them.
Yes, that's just it for me, too - I don't visualise anything really when reading, but if I've seen a film or illustrations, I occasionally have those images in my head when I read. And I have a visual memory, though a bit hazy.
I have a very weak visual imagination, especially when reading, and I read very slowly, so I guess I would be a case against the general trend in the opposite direction, if there is one. I would say I read about 10-40 pages per hour, depending on what I'm reading. 10 pages per hour (or less) would be when I'm reading philosophy or other dense non-fiction, and the 40 pages per hour range would more be when I'm reading something light and breezy like contemporary genre fiction or pop nonfiction. 20 pages per hour would probably be what's typical for me.
I already knew you were a fast reader, but wow! When you said it’s slower for you listening to an audio book than reading (I am slower reading physically than listening) But then you also said you listen to audio books faster than normal speed too!!! I am definitely a slow reader hahaha! I also tend to read for short periods of time, so it takes me a long time to read a novel! I have many other hobbies so that also plays a big part in how little I read these days. So nice that your job and your hobby are still the same thing!!!!!
My font size is set so large on my Kindle that every book looks like a Dicksonian tome! Back in the 90's I took the Evelyn Wood speed reading course. Tim Ferriss also has a method that he's shared for speed reading. I can't remember who said it, but one tip is to read as fast as you can talk. The way we learn in school is to read aloud, which is S-L-O-W. Some people never grow out of that. I'm very visual in reading and writing and if I'm listening to a book, or podcast, I speed up to 1.25 at least. Your channel is one I listen to at normal speed because you speak at a good clip. Jimmy Carr said something about gauging his talking speed at 92 beats/minute (I think!) because that was the optimal listening speed for most people. Are you going to coordinate your book launch with a UA-cam read-along, etc.? If it's in July, maybe have it be on The List for "read one historical fiction book." Can't wait! P.S. 📖
Haha maybe I read very fast because I also talk very fast 😅 I probably won't do a readalong for Montgomery Hurst (basically, because I think in a readalong or a group read, when it's nice to discuss what everyone thinks, and I wouldn't want to run a readalong where people might feel uncomfortable saying they didn't like it), but there will be plenty of videos about it in July :)
When I read I visualize everything. It’s like a movie playing out in my head. So because of that I am a very slow reader. I wish I could read faster, I’ve such a long tbr I don’t know when I’ll ever be done! I don’t know how to read any other way, my brain won’t do it! 😅
Very definitely if I need a boost in focus, I’ll read along my bookmark per each line - but that’s a seldom occurrence for me. I needed it for parts of _Arabian Nights_ but I just wanted to crank through on those occasions. Mostly I take a more relaxed approach. I’m sure reading for a job can alter that also.
I have aphantasia. I can read quite fast but half the time i choose to read slower and take in more of what i'm reading. I have read since i was a kid and now in my 40's. I love books and i am always reading. 📚
I'm another voracious reader without much of a visual imagination. I hadn't really considered if it affects my reading speed, but I know I do tend to skim passages of dense description - let's say, of a ship - because I just can't picture what's being described and I get a little bored. I read in two languages and even after 15 years living in the country, I read in my second language at about half the speed as in English, so I just have to give myself a break on that and accept that those books will take longer.
Hi Kate I too use a Book Mark to read by. It is very helpful. I do not rush into my reading. I will take my time in Reading. I have 8 Library Books checked out right now and I have read one and I will return that one sometime this week. I am almost done with another Library Book. I may be able to return that one this week as well. I read Library Books from Spring to Late Fall and than during the Winter Months I will read my own Books that are on my shelves and on my Library Floor. I do not listen to Audio Books. I have in the past but I don’t anymore. I would rather read a Physical Book. I did enjoy this Video. It was interesting to listen to you and your approach in Reading. Take Care & Happy Reading ❤️🤗📖☕️❤️
I’m leaning more and more towards audiobooks, and I can listen all day long if it’s a good story, whereas the effort of reading the same story on paper or kindle can bore me more quickly. It’s probably due to my working past, but eye fatigue with age is also a factor. I had never thought of the impact of visualisation on reading speed. What really gets me through a book very fast has to do with engagement with the story and curiosity about the ending.
Very interesting. I love books, but don’t read fast. I’ve also lost some focus over time (I’m 77) and don’t finish a lot of the books I start. Can’t explain that.
📖 Interesting video! Reading for work and reading for pleasure are quite different even though of course you can derive a lot of pleasure from any reading. For me, I am on the slower side and can take an hour to read 20-25 pages depending on the book. Very interesting topic.
It is said Emily Bronte read while cooking so I suppose that was her version of audio listening. I am a slow reader for a number of reasons but as a guitarist once said about picking up the guitar to play a chord and I suppose you could apply it to picking up a book ''make sure it's a good one''.
Before I got into audiobooks, I did often use to read my kindle while cooking (kindle in one hand, spoon to stir the pot in the other) - and then I dropped it while cooking once (on the floor, not in the pot) and stopped XD
9:50 I am curious to know what and how they visualise, from anyone who visualises because I have absolutely no visualisation unless it is mandatory For example if it is specifically mentioned what someone spilled something on their shirt then I temporarily imagine it but otherwise there is no image in my head how the characters look like or how they are sitting or what they are wearing or how their house looks like etc. In some places I have a rudimentary imagination to fulfil that part of the story such as if someone is digging a tunnel through their house i will have to imagine it for the time being to advance that plot in my head. Lol i dont know if that made sense at all😅
For me, I imagine everything in the story (how characters look, the world, what the characters are doing etc) If it’s written I’m imagining it. Actually didn’t know that everyone doesn’t do this until today! I guess that’s why it takes me so long to finish a book.
Yeah, I pretty much have no image in my head at all as I read and write. Very occasionally, if something is incredibly vividly written or if there's something confusing happening that I'm trying to work out, I might have a very faint, hazy image in my mind, but that's very rare. It probably happens like a handful of books I read a year, and only once or twice in those books. In general, it's just the words.
This is such a great video! I also read a lot and am a fast reader. I get through about the same amount of books as you per month but I will say that I have a very vivid visual imagination but I do still manage to read a lot so I’m not sure if that supposition holds up! 😉 I’m curious what other people say though!
Despite being an avid and voracious reader, I've always been a slow one. I've come to believe that this is not just because I fully visualize what I read, but because I'm somewhat dyslexic. There are times I must read the same sentence or passage three or four times to understand what is on the page. Indeed, I was placed is "special reading class" in Grade Two, when it was discovered I was less adept at reading than my classmates - not a confidence boosting experience, I can tell you. I wondered then whether I was stupid, but as I've read Joyce and Pynchon and DFW and their like often now, and love Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, with no problem understanding what I digest, I've come to realize that I was/am far from stupid, that I was merely undiagnosed - if we had any realization or understanding of the condition in those dark ages of the early '70s. I realize now that slow and steady wins the race. To read slowly is not a handicap, if it allows me to digest and remember fully - which is not a bad thing. I do wish I could complete a book in a day or so, and not in a week, but better slow than not at all. Honestly, most people I know do not read at all. Apparently game shows, reality TV, and true crime are far more informative and entertaining than the classics.... Personally, I'll stick with Dickens and Trollope, rather than follow their lead.
I definitely fell into the trap of looking at reading in terms of the number of books instead of the quality. I set goals on Good Reads and then found it a stressor rather than motivational and I think it was Jen Campbell who pointed this out to me during a slump. As an aside, I am conscious that a lot of my historical fiction is vert UK centric and have branched out into Russian history and more recently into The Austrian-Hungarian royal family. I am currently reading the 2nd of 2 novels by Allison Pataki about Empress Sisi (Elizabeth). I really recommend these, although I would say that the dialogue grated on me a bit in the first one as is was definitely not in keeping with the period. Happy days are reading days 💖
Thank you for this interesting video : ) You’re very lucky to be a fast reader : ) I’m curious to know about your exposure to books when you were young (especially before five and in primary/elementary school). Were both your parents literary themselves? Was your home full of books? Did they encourage you to read, buying you books, taking you to the library? Could you read from a very young age? (before commencing school). Did it come naturally to you (without much effort)? The distinction between nature vs nurture when it comes to talent (or giftedness), and the influence of brain dominance (right brain vs left brain) when it comes to talent (or giftedness) is truly fascinating (to me). I wouldn’t be surprised if you are left brain dominate (but then I could be wrong). Sorry to bombard you with all those questions, but curiosity got the better of me. Just to let you know I bought Hartwood Hall from that well known online store that starts with A. I’m looking forward to receiving and reading it : ) I look forward to your next video 📚
Thanks very much! I don't remember/know if I could read before I went to primary school. I expect not, but I was probably was read to a lot. Both my parents like books and theatre, and my brother and I were always encouraged to read, so that probably had an impact. No idea whether it came naturally to me or not, but I do know that as a child I used to skim read a lot. I remember reading Jane Eyre for the first time aged 13 and subvocalising (i.e., reading the words aloud in my head) for more or less the first time. I remember I was always better at maths than at English as a child and I used to have terrible spelling - I remember at the start of secondary school, I was in the top set for maths and the middle set for English, until I was 14, and then I started to do better at English. I don't know much about left brain vs right brain, but I do love organisation, so who knows! And thanks for buying Hartwood Hall - I hope you like it :)
@@katiejlumsden Thank you kindly for your reply in telling us about your childhood exposure to books : ) I’d say your parents had a strong influence on your reading ability, nurturing it along the way. Those first five years are key to later literacy success. Having other good role models, including teachers and librarians, during our educational years, does help too. Yes, we’re dominant in one hemisphere, but use of both sides (integration of left and right) is ideal. For example, when learning to read, looking at the picture (right side) and linking it with a word (left side) or when remembering the words to a poem (language) or when learning the times tables (mathematical) (both left side) put them to music/a beat (right side). It’s good to know about our dominant brain, to help understand oneself. Yes, I’m looking forward to reading your book Hartwood Hall : )
Thank you for the video. 🙂It's interesting to see how you fit reading into your day! I wonder how you remember what you read? do you keep notes about each book or write down your thoughts/reactions afterwards?
I found this very interesting! I also read with a bookmark, I have prisms in my lenses to make my eyes work as a team, but the bookmark helps a lot! I'd like to know - do you read different things on holiday? My last 2 holidays, I bought very contemporary books at the airport & DNF'd them! Next holiday I will take tried & trusted authors with me instead! I always wish I could take ALL my many books with me when I travel!!! 📖
Not really - I just sort of read the same things on holiday as the rest of the time. I did think, on my last holiday, that I was reading some very heavy things for pool-side reading, but I kind of enjoyed that nonetheless!
I just play on default settings - I think the only thing I change is set the world to as large as possible. I can't remember if I listened to audiobooks when I started it, but I've been playing it from time to time for over 10 years, so I'm quite good by now XD
I have a very, very visual imagination, however I read as fast as you do, so I don't think it's necessarily related. I read almost entirely in my e-reader, just when a book is for research I prefer to do it physically. I haven't been able to get used to audiobooks, and that I think is related to my visual imagination. The voices of the narrators are never how I have imagined them 😝 Also, I can read under any circumstance, in any place and at any time, to the point I have banned myself from going near any book before going to bed otherwise, I don't sleep 🤣 I'm a teacher, so I cannot be sleepy at my own classes 😆
I’m a slow reader and strongly visualise when reading and am able to partially recall book scenes and scenery for years after as if pressing play on a video. I remember characters ‘faces’ and some idea of their body shape and clothing. I also retain a general sense of how I feel about a character but I may be hazy on plot. For those of you who don’t visualise clearly do you have a different way of recalling a book? If you have watched a film - do you have any visual memory for that? Do you think about people you know when you are not with them and do you visualise them? Perhaps I could free some space in my head!
I'm interesting to know what other people thing, but yes, I do have a visual memory of films if I've watched them (although usually little tiny clips or almost like hazy screenshots, not big swathes of it, and my audio memory is better than my visual memory). I visualise people I know when I'm not with them if I think about them, but they're a bit hazy/hard to grasp hold of - like the image flickers and then vanishes, I guess? When it comes to remembering books - I often remember specific sentences/lines of dialogue, and I often remember how the book made me feel best of all. I feel like I remember books much better because of Booktube - talking about the books on Booktube helps me remember them, I guess? Maybe that's why I like owning books as physical objects, too - an object to remember? It's hard to tell!
Thanks Katie, I hadn’t even thought of audio memory or word and dialogue memory. Really interesting to get an idea of how other people’s experiences differ. 😊
When a movie is based on a book and someone says it wasn't how they pictured a character I've never had that because i don't 'see' the characters when i read. Side question: do you internally vocalise when reading? I'm pretty sure i didn't as a child until i found out other people did and now i can't stop. I think it's fascinating how we can each experience reading so differently.
Me, too! I internally vocalise but definitely didn't as a kid. I actually remember distinctly that Jane Eyre as a teenager was the first book I ever internally vocalised, because it helped me understand it more easily?
Out of curiosity, what would your pace be for something like Ulysses or Gravity’s Rainbow or a book of poetry? Do you feel you can read closely (enough for, say, literary analysis, not just editing)? As an English professor who has spent years teaching poetry, I am always telling students to slow down and attune themselves to nuance-but then, the late Harold Bloom was able to read at a freakish pace with near-total recall. (I am also a person of limited visual imagination when I read, but not aphantasia. Reading for me feels like looking at the Matrix code itself, if you will-like my brain has a shorthand for at least some cinematic representations). Pure curiosity! Thanks so much for your time. P.S. I also don’t listen to audiobooks-I feel I miss detail-and what’s more, any reading aloud involves emphasis and shading and such, and therefore seem to me to constitute an interpretation. No judgment or shade on audiobooks-just wondering how much difference you think it would make if you only read text (hard copy or e-reader).
I haven't read Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow, and I'm not sure they'd be for me. I didn't get on with Dubliners and don't feel much inclined to carry on with Joyce. I haven't read any Thomas Pynchon. I do enjoy poetry, though, and when I read poetry I often read my favourite poems twice. I probably do read poetry slightly slower overall, but it's hard to tell when poetry collections are so short. I would say that when I read, I'm reading for fun and enjoyment, for great stories and great characters, more than for literary analysis - or at least, I've always been more interesting in thematic literary analysis over close reading anyway. I did English literature (and History) at university and always enjoyed literary analysis at the thematic, larger level more, though I of course did some close reading at times. I should also say that I don't edit at the pace I read at all - editing speeds vary a lot depending on what stage I'm editing, but for most line edits or copy-edits, I get through about 12 pages an hour. But when I'm editing, I'm interrogating or reworking the punctuation/wording/structure of every sentence, making timeline and continuity notes, fact-checking and researching around it, etc., so that's very different. Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if part of the reason why I read fast when I'm reading for fun is so I don't start accidentally editing the novels I'm reading in my head, which is a danger and can skew the reading experience! I love audiobooks a lot and often get a rich reading experience from them. I reread a lot on audiobook (especially for classics), and I've very occasionally come across a reading/emphasis that feels like an interpretation, but that doesn't happen too often for me. I'm an author, too, and interestingly, when I listened to the audiobook of my own novel, I felt like the reader had read it exactly as it was in my head. I may have been lucky - maybe I won't feel that for every audiobook of my own, but it was kind of wild to me how exactly she got all the nuance and emphasis I intended.
@@katiejlumsden That is such an incredibly generous reply! Joyce and Pynchon were just placeholders for “dense and difficult.” I find that my reading speed varies not only with print density (as you mentioned), but with the texture of the language, my desire to remember detail, etc. I was just curious how these things worked for you, since I had found your video so interesting. Your answer above is as thorough and generous as I’ve ever seen a content creator offer on this platform-which makes you pretty awesome. Thanks so much for sharing more about your process with me! Happy reading and writing; I envy you the experience of hearing your own words in audiobook form. I really should make the time to write more seriously. My job, my kid, and my reading addiction take up lots of time, but the satisfaction of creating a world out of words must be immense, and has been an aspiration of mine since I was a child. It just takes a lot of discipline to stay on task. Your example is inspiring, though. Cheers!
There are times when I read that feels like I'm watching a movie, espeially when the book is written like that, so reading someone like Hemingway or Donna Tartt or even Tolkien is a breeze for me. I have a harder time however on books say a lot of things rather than just showing me things, if that makes sense. Maybe that is why I did not enjoy Babel by RF Kuang
I've just got into audiobooks and that is helping me a lot, but I can't listen to them at a faster speed because it sounds like chipmunks to me. I wonder how many authors have aphantasia, I would make it harder to write which is fascinating.
I think in a way it makes it easier to write. I think about this a lot, but I know some writers who struggle to get what's in their head on the page, whereas it sort of isn't in my head unless it's on the page, and I think in a way that helps? I think John Green has posted online before about having aphantasia.
interesting that you talk about the size of the words on the page.. reading is definitely not one of the things the eyes evolved to do and can strain the eyes depending on the size of the font. traditional books are all over the place in this respect. maybe e-readers is a better choice as you can tailor the page for comfort.
I suppose because I've loved reading for a while, I've got a decent sense of what I like, and that helps me find books I enjoy? So the more you read, the more you narrow down your tastes.
It's not about shaping books to fit the market; it's about editing with an awareness of the market. A lot of authors write with the market in mind, too; they know their audience and what kind of book they want to write. The way I view being an editor is that it's all about making the novel as strong as it can be while ensuring the novel remains true to itself. As an editor, you have to make a lot of calls and give a lot of advice, and sometimes it's hard to judge whether your instinct is right or based on your own subjective taste; the market is a useful reference point there. If I instinctively feel that a book is too slow-paced or too fast-paced, then thinking about it in the context of other books in a similar area can help me judge whether my instinct is right or not. And if a book is doing something subversive and different, I'm going to be more able to help an author do that well if I understand what they're subverting, if you see what I mean.
@@katiejlumsden Good clarification, thanks. I wonder whether editors are as involved in the creative process in other linguistic areas. I’d say (but I’m not in the business) they aren’t in my own.
I'm not surprised by how much you read....but when I know you also workout, have a job, write good novels, and produce/edit booktube videos.......that's when I start considering that superheroes might be walking among us.
Not to mention she's also kind enough to respond to her followers on social media. I don't know how she does it all 😢
Haha, thank you, folks. I mean, I do basically read WHILE working out, so . . . 😂
I totally feel you on the "I just want to read all the things!!!" thing. I'm not someone who needs to hit big numbers, but there are so many books I'm desperate to read that hitting middle age sent me into a crisis. I suddenly realized I won't get to read ALL THE THINGS if I don't read ALL THE TIME!! 😅 I switched out a lot of my social media time for ebook-reading time about a year ago, and that really increased the number of books I read a month, but I'm still barely making a dent in my to-read list. 😂
There are just so many books to read!
I am a very slow reader who creates a visual image of the characters, places, and geography as the book progresses. When I reflect on the novels that live in my mind a mental image also appears. Scenes from Once Upon a River, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, The House of the Seven Gables, or My Ántonia are all cataloged in my mind with the story. A bit quirky, perhaps, but I don’t know how else to explain it. Thank you, Katie, for telling us how you approach reading-every tip was interesting. I appreciate you bringing joy into my day!
This is so interesting! I wish I could see Wuthering Heights in my head!
📖📖📖 I also read a lot, across many genres. It was interesting to hear your approach. It really helps to be a fast reader!
I'm a slow reader and I do tend to visualize...it has been very interesting to hear how you read and process books. Thanks so much!
As far as reading multiple books at a time, I almost always read at least three books at a time and I will read one book for a week and then go to the next one for the next week and so on, then on the weekend I will read several pages of each so all of them are fresh in my mind. You also mentioned how watching or listening to people talking about books makes you want to read more. That is definitely true however, the passion and joy that is so apparent when you speak about books is infectious and not everyone who speaks about books gives the feeling that one is truly missing something if they are not reading a lot of books. So please know that your videos are a gift to anyone who loves to read.
The visualisation/visual imagination topic is a fascinating one especially since I just assumed everyone automatically made mental pictures of characters, setting etc.
Reading is indeed an extraordinary multi-faceted thing! Thanks Katie. Another great video!
This is so interesting - maybe I need to make a separate video just discussing visualisation!
Maybe I need to make a separate video just talking about this!
I used to struggle to finish reading books. Now, I've set my reading time to before bed, which works really for me! Also, it's very good for sleep to read a few pages of physical copies in bed before going to sleep.
I love this video 😊 ! I started to read more when I started to read in the subway while going to work. Also, spending less time watching TV and youtube permetted me to spend more time reading, thus reading more
As a kid I read a lot of books, however sometimes I would take a day off from school just to read - a habit that made my first stab at uni troublesome. As an adult I cannot take a day off to read anymore so I guess I don't read as much as I did then. The other habit determining how much I read is that now I only very rarely read something published in the last five years, whereas as a young man I read a lot of BOMC selections as well as a lot of NYT bestsellers. Additionally, today I read what I want regardless of page length but in the past I preferred shorter things that boosted the monthly totals.
Thanks for shouting out my video! Reading books for review feels work adjacent in having a wide industry knowledge for publishing, but booktube does make me want to read as well! It is so motivating. And then there are the books you read for work that you can't really talk about. I can read fast because of uni but I actually don't think I do for the most part unless it is a submission for work -- mostly I end up reading medium level but making more time to read, which is why I read so much in some people's eyes. We are the exact same, with visual memory that is quite hazy though? And then no visual imagination. I like audiobooks but I don't really sit down and listen to one and it's mostly just when I am cooking or walking. But equally, I LOVE music so often music wins > audiobooks as I read physically so much.
📖 Talking about reading is as fun as talking about books. Do you listen to music when you read or do you need silence?
I usually either read in silence or have music on without words. I struggle to read with music with lyrics, but I sometimes listen to Chopin or Studio Ghibli soundtracks while reading or working.
I’m so glad you mentioned playing a video game when you’re listening to audio books. I love to play solitaire on my phone when I’m absorbed in an audio book, for some reason I find that combination heavenly. I also love to knit and listen to audio books.
Haha I do wonder if that's true! My subvocalisation is very speedy, I guess.
Brilliant video! This is all so interesting. I am a slow reader but have an incredible visual imagination. This visualisation experience is enhanced even more if I watch a TV series on the book and then reread the book. The TV characters and settings will then be absolutely paramount in my mind.
I’m loving catching up with your videos. This was quite thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing. I’m a slowish reader but I really do visualise the world I’m reading about. In fact, if I can’t visualise it, a lot of the pleasure is taken away. Very interesting that you don’t need that and it allows you to read quicker. It’s funny how we are all so different and experiencing books in very personal ways. Your job as an editor sounds really interesting. I’m looking forward to reading your novels.
It’s really interesting to hear about other people’s reading habits and experiences. Thanks for sharing! I also don’t have a ton of visual imagination, and now I’m wondering if it impacts my reading speed.
As someone who also reads a decent variety of things, I also get what you’re saying about wanting to read everything, and I agree it helps with preventing reading slumps 😅
This is a wonderful video and highlights some of my own reading practices.
Something that I do is to have a short term, mid term and long term read going simultaneously.
I am a part of a book club that does deep reads that take anywhere from 6-12 weeks. If I have finished my allotted reading for the fortnight I pause and jump into some other books. I will have a reading goal - like this year I want to read an Australian novel each month, and will jump into that. And I like to have a book/series that I listen to as an audiobook during commutes and exercise (Neopolitan Series atm). I have Wednesdays off work and often do a day of chores that day, so like to listen to an audiobook, and can often finish a shorter novel in that day.
Some months you look back at how many books you have engaged with and can be pretty amazing how much you have gotten through, without it ever feeling like hard work.
Really loved this video.
I loved hearing about your approach to reading. I'm glad to have been introduced to your channel!
Thanks for the mention, and I'm glad you enjoyed my videos 🥰
I am quite a slow reader, but I don`t have much of a visual imagination. Similarly to what you said in the video, I also get only a hazy picture about things in my head and it doesn`t happen automatically, it takes an effort and slows me down even more, so usually I won`t even bother. However, I hear sounds in my minds ear easily while I`m reading. I have some extremely vivid and unforgettable aural memories from some books - like for instance scenes from Hardy`s "Tess of the D`Urbervilles". Also emotional and kinesthetic connection to the words I`m reading is really important to me. If I don`t feel it I struggle to even understand what exactly is being said. I don`t know why that is, but for some reason simply reading the words on the page doesn`t always mean that they will translate into meaning in my head. At least it doesn`t happen fast. I need to hear the words and feel them, so many times I read out loud to myself. I guess that also takes more time compared to reading only with your eyes and mind. I don`t think reading speed necessarily depends on whether you visualize or not. It seems to be more connected to your learning style and how your brain works... Anyway, that`s how it seems to me. :) It is definitely fascinating how differently we read, think and experience the world.
I found what you said about visualisation very interesting. I do have a visual memory, but when I read I never see in my mind's eye what the characters look like or the landscape, no matter how detailed the author describes it.Somehow I've always thought this might be a flaw in my way of reading, that I would just have to try harder to see what the author wants me to see.However, with books that I've seen an adaptation of that I liked, I often see the characters from the adaptation in my mind's eye when I read or reread them.
Yes, that's just it for me, too - I don't visualise anything really when reading, but if I've seen a film or illustrations, I occasionally have those images in my head when I read. And I have a visual memory, though a bit hazy.
I have a very weak visual imagination, especially when reading, and I read very slowly, so I guess I would be a case against the general trend in the opposite direction, if there is one. I would say I read about 10-40 pages per hour, depending on what I'm reading. 10 pages per hour (or less) would be when I'm reading philosophy or other dense non-fiction, and the 40 pages per hour range would more be when I'm reading something light and breezy like contemporary genre fiction or pop nonfiction. 20 pages per hour would probably be what's typical for me.
I already knew you were a fast reader, but wow! When you said it’s slower for you listening to an audio book than reading (I am slower reading physically than listening) But then you also said you listen to audio books faster than normal speed too!!! I am definitely a slow reader hahaha! I also tend to read for short periods of time, so it takes me a long time to read a novel! I have many other hobbies so that also plays a big part in how little I read these days. So nice that your job and your hobby are still the same thing!!!!!
My font size is set so large on my Kindle that every book looks like a Dicksonian tome! Back in the 90's I took the Evelyn Wood speed reading course. Tim Ferriss also has a method that he's shared for speed reading. I can't remember who said it, but one tip is to read as fast as you can talk. The way we learn in school is to read aloud, which is S-L-O-W. Some people never grow out of that.
I'm very visual in reading and writing and if I'm listening to a book, or podcast, I speed up to 1.25 at least. Your channel is one I listen to at normal speed because you speak at a good clip. Jimmy Carr said something about gauging his talking speed at 92 beats/minute (I think!) because that was the optimal listening speed for most people.
Are you going to coordinate your book launch with a UA-cam read-along, etc.? If it's in July, maybe have it be on The List for "read one historical fiction book." Can't wait!
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Haha maybe I read very fast because I also talk very fast 😅
I probably won't do a readalong for Montgomery Hurst (basically, because I think in a readalong or a group read, when it's nice to discuss what everyone thinks, and I wouldn't want to run a readalong where people might feel uncomfortable saying they didn't like it), but there will be plenty of videos about it in July :)
@@katiejlumsden It didn't occur to me that someone wouldn't like it!
Thank you Katie!
When I read I visualize everything. It’s like a movie playing out in my head. So because of that I am a very slow reader. I wish I could read faster, I’ve such a long tbr I don’t know when I’ll ever be done! I don’t know how to read any other way, my brain won’t do it! 😅
This is so interesting! I can't even really imagine what it must be like to see a sort of film in your head as you read.
📖 thank you, Katie, for another interesting video! 📖
Very definitely if I need a boost in focus, I’ll read along my bookmark per each line - but that’s a seldom occurrence for me. I needed it for parts of _Arabian Nights_ but I just wanted to crank through on those occasions. Mostly I take a more relaxed approach. I’m sure reading for a job can alter that also.
I have aphantasia. I can read quite fast but half the time i choose to read slower and take in more of what i'm reading. I have read since i was a kid and now in my 40's. I love books and i am always reading. 📚
I'm another voracious reader without much of a visual imagination. I hadn't really considered if it affects my reading speed, but I know I do tend to skim passages of dense description - let's say, of a ship - because I just can't picture what's being described and I get a little bored. I read in two languages and even after 15 years living in the country, I read in my second language at about half the speed as in English, so I just have to give myself a break on that and accept that those books will take longer.
Hi Kate
I too use a Book Mark to read by. It is very helpful.
I do not rush into my reading. I will take my time in Reading.
I have 8 Library Books checked out right now and I have read one and I will return that one sometime this week. I am almost done with another Library Book. I may be able to return that one this week as well.
I read Library Books from Spring to Late Fall and than during the Winter Months I will read my own Books that are on my shelves and on my Library Floor.
I do not listen to Audio Books. I have in the past but I don’t anymore. I would rather read a Physical Book.
I did enjoy this Video. It was interesting to listen to you and your approach in Reading.
Take Care & Happy Reading
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I’m leaning more and more towards audiobooks, and I can listen all day long if it’s a good story, whereas the effort of reading the same story on paper or kindle can bore me more quickly. It’s probably due to my working past, but eye fatigue with age is also a factor.
I had never thought of the impact of visualisation on reading speed. What really gets me through a book very fast has to do with engagement with the story and curiosity about the ending.
Very interesting. I love books, but don’t read fast. I’ve also lost some focus over time (I’m 77) and don’t finish a lot of the books I start. Can’t explain that.
📖 Interesting video! Reading for work and reading for pleasure are quite different even though of course you can derive a lot of pleasure from any reading. For me, I am on the slower side and can take an hour to read 20-25 pages depending on the book. Very interesting topic.
It is said Emily Bronte read while cooking so I suppose that was her version of audio listening. I am a slow reader for a number of reasons but as a guitarist once said about picking up the guitar to play a chord and I suppose you could apply it to picking up a book ''make sure it's a good one''.
Before I got into audiobooks, I did often use to read my kindle while cooking (kindle in one hand, spoon to stir the pot in the other) - and then I dropped it while cooking once (on the floor, not in the pot) and stopped XD
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Reading is my main hobby too, but I try other things as well such diamonding painting and coloring.
Was happy to hear you say that you don’t read or set out to read the very day.
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I am curious to know what and how they visualise, from anyone who visualises because I have absolutely no visualisation unless it is mandatory
For example if it is specifically mentioned what someone spilled something on their shirt then I temporarily imagine it but otherwise there is no image in my head how the characters look like or how they are sitting or what they are wearing or how their house looks like etc. In some places I have a rudimentary imagination to fulfil that part of the story such as if someone is digging a tunnel through their house i will have to imagine it for the time being to advance that plot in my head. Lol i dont know if that made sense at all😅
For me, I imagine everything in the story (how characters look, the world, what the characters are doing etc) If it’s written I’m imagining it. Actually didn’t know that everyone doesn’t do this until today! I guess that’s why it takes me so long to finish a book.
Yeah, I pretty much have no image in my head at all as I read and write. Very occasionally, if something is incredibly vividly written or if there's something confusing happening that I'm trying to work out, I might have a very faint, hazy image in my mind, but that's very rare. It probably happens like a handful of books I read a year, and only once or twice in those books. In general, it's just the words.
It means audiobook counts. Thanks!
They absolutely do :)
This is such a great video! I also read a lot and am a fast reader. I get through about the same amount of books as you per month but I will say that I have a very vivid visual imagination but I do still manage to read a lot so I’m not sure if that supposition holds up! 😉 I’m curious what other people say though!
Despite being an avid and voracious reader, I've always been a slow one. I've come to believe that this is not just because I fully visualize what I read, but because I'm somewhat dyslexic. There are times I must read the same sentence or passage three or four times to understand what is on the page. Indeed, I was placed is "special reading class" in Grade Two, when it was discovered I was less adept at reading than my classmates - not a confidence boosting experience, I can tell you. I wondered then whether I was stupid, but as I've read Joyce and Pynchon and DFW and their like often now, and love Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, with no problem understanding what I digest, I've come to realize that I was/am far from stupid, that I was merely undiagnosed - if we had any realization or understanding of the condition in those dark ages of the early '70s.
I realize now that slow and steady wins the race. To read slowly is not a handicap, if it allows me to digest and remember fully - which is not a bad thing. I do wish I could complete a book in a day or so, and not in a week, but better slow than not at all.
Honestly, most people I know do not read at all. Apparently game shows, reality TV, and true crime are far more informative and entertaining than the classics.... Personally, I'll stick with Dickens and Trollope, rather than follow their lead.
I have a visual imagination and I do read slower than I’d like to. Interesting correlation!
This is very interesting!
Interesting! I'd say that I read fairly quickly and I don't picture anything when I read 📖
I'm a really slow reader, but have a very visual memory and imagination. I wonder, now, if there's a connection ...
I definitely fell into the trap of looking at reading in terms of the number of books instead of the quality. I set goals on Good Reads and then found it a stressor rather than motivational and I think it was Jen Campbell who pointed this out to me during a slump.
As an aside, I am conscious that a lot of my historical fiction is vert UK centric and have branched out into Russian history and more recently into The Austrian-Hungarian royal family. I am currently reading the 2nd of 2 novels by Allison Pataki about Empress Sisi (Elizabeth). I really recommend these, although I would say that the dialogue grated on me a bit in the first one as is was definitely not in keeping with the period.
Happy days are reading days 💖
Thank you for this interesting video : ) You’re very lucky to be a fast reader : ) I’m curious to know about your exposure to books when you were young (especially before five and in primary/elementary school). Were both your parents literary themselves? Was your home full of books? Did they encourage you to read, buying you books, taking you to the library? Could you read from a very young age? (before commencing school). Did it come naturally to you (without much effort)? The distinction between nature vs nurture when it comes to talent (or giftedness), and the influence of brain dominance (right brain vs left brain) when it comes to talent (or giftedness) is truly fascinating (to me). I wouldn’t be surprised if you are left brain dominate (but then I could be wrong). Sorry to bombard you with all those questions, but curiosity got the better of me. Just to let you know I bought Hartwood Hall from that well known online store that starts with A. I’m looking forward to receiving and reading it : ) I look forward to your next video 📚
Reading fast can have the down side of missing stuff.
Thanks very much!
I don't remember/know if I could read before I went to primary school. I expect not, but I was probably was read to a lot. Both my parents like books and theatre, and my brother and I were always encouraged to read, so that probably had an impact. No idea whether it came naturally to me or not, but I do know that as a child I used to skim read a lot. I remember reading Jane Eyre for the first time aged 13 and subvocalising (i.e., reading the words aloud in my head) for more or less the first time. I remember I was always better at maths than at English as a child and I used to have terrible spelling - I remember at the start of secondary school, I was in the top set for maths and the middle set for English, until I was 14, and then I started to do better at English. I don't know much about left brain vs right brain, but I do love organisation, so who knows! And thanks for buying Hartwood Hall - I hope you like it :)
@@katiejlumsden Thank you kindly for your reply in telling us about your childhood exposure to books : ) I’d say your parents had a strong influence on your reading ability, nurturing it along the way. Those first five years are key to later literacy success. Having other good role models, including teachers and librarians, during our educational years, does help too. Yes, we’re dominant in one hemisphere, but use of both sides (integration of left and right) is ideal. For example, when learning to read, looking at the picture (right side) and linking it with a word (left side) or when remembering the words to a poem (language) or when learning the times tables (mathematical) (both left side) put them to music/a beat (right side). It’s good to know about our dominant brain, to help understand oneself. Yes, I’m looking forward to reading your book Hartwood Hall : )
Thank you for the video. 🙂It's interesting to see how you fit reading into your day! I wonder how you remember what you read? do you keep notes about each book or write down your thoughts/reactions afterwards?
I don't make notes, but I guess my monthly wrap up on Booktube sort of serves the same purpose?
I found this very interesting! I also read with a bookmark, I have prisms in my lenses to make my eyes work as a team, but the bookmark helps a lot! I'd like to know - do you read different things on holiday? My last 2 holidays, I bought very contemporary books at the airport & DNF'd them! Next holiday I will take tried & trusted authors with me instead! I always wish I could take ALL my many books with me when I travel!!! 📖
Not really - I just sort of read the same things on holiday as the rest of the time. I did think, on my last holiday, that I was reading some very heavy things for pool-side reading, but I kind of enjoyed that nonetheless!
@@katiejlumsden Good plan! Just read the books I love all year round! 📖
You found Don't Starve to be a casual game?
I found it to be one of the most intensive and hard games to play. What difficulty/settings do you use?
I just play on default settings - I think the only thing I change is set the world to as large as possible. I can't remember if I listened to audiobooks when I started it, but I've been playing it from time to time for over 10 years, so I'm quite good by now XD
I have a very, very visual imagination, however I read as fast as you do, so I don't think it's necessarily related. I read almost entirely in my e-reader, just when a book is for research I prefer to do it physically. I haven't been able to get used to audiobooks, and that I think is related to my visual imagination. The voices of the narrators are never how I have imagined them 😝 Also, I can read under any circumstance, in any place and at any time, to the point I have banned myself from going near any book before going to bed otherwise, I don't sleep 🤣 I'm a teacher, so I cannot be sleepy at my own classes 😆
I’m a slow reader and strongly visualise when reading and am able to partially recall book scenes and scenery for years after as if pressing play on a video. I remember characters ‘faces’ and some idea of their body shape and clothing. I also retain a general sense of how I feel about a character but I may be hazy on plot. For those of you who don’t visualise clearly do you have a different way of recalling a book? If you have watched a film - do you have any visual memory for that? Do you think about people you know when you are not with them and do you visualise them? Perhaps I could free some space in my head!
I'm interesting to know what other people thing, but yes, I do have a visual memory of films if I've watched them (although usually little tiny clips or almost like hazy screenshots, not big swathes of it, and my audio memory is better than my visual memory). I visualise people I know when I'm not with them if I think about them, but they're a bit hazy/hard to grasp hold of - like the image flickers and then vanishes, I guess?
When it comes to remembering books - I often remember specific sentences/lines of dialogue, and I often remember how the book made me feel best of all. I feel like I remember books much better because of Booktube - talking about the books on Booktube helps me remember them, I guess? Maybe that's why I like owning books as physical objects, too - an object to remember? It's hard to tell!
Thanks Katie, I hadn’t even thought of audio memory or word and dialogue memory. Really interesting to get an idea of how other people’s experiences differ. 😊
I have dyslexia so can not read so fast. But I have read thin books within a Day.
When a movie is based on a book and someone says it wasn't how they pictured a character I've never had that because i don't 'see' the characters when i read.
Side question: do you internally vocalise when reading? I'm pretty sure i didn't as a child until i found out other people did and now i can't stop. I think it's fascinating how we can each experience reading so differently.
Me, too! I internally vocalise but definitely didn't as a kid. I actually remember distinctly that Jane Eyre as a teenager was the first book I ever internally vocalised, because it helped me understand it more easily?
@@katiejlumsden oh, that's so interesting! I wonder if it's common amongst children. I think this is all so so fascinating 😊
Out of curiosity, what would your pace be for something like Ulysses or Gravity’s Rainbow or a book of poetry? Do you feel you can read closely (enough for, say, literary analysis, not just editing)? As an English professor who has spent years teaching poetry, I am always telling students to slow down and attune themselves to nuance-but then, the late Harold Bloom was able to read at a freakish pace with near-total recall. (I am also a person of limited visual imagination when I read, but not aphantasia. Reading for me feels like looking at the Matrix code itself, if you will-like my brain has a shorthand for at least some cinematic representations). Pure curiosity! Thanks so much for your time.
P.S. I also don’t listen to audiobooks-I feel I miss detail-and what’s more, any reading aloud involves emphasis and shading and such, and therefore seem to me to constitute an interpretation. No judgment or shade on audiobooks-just wondering how much difference you think it would make if you only read text (hard copy or e-reader).
I haven't read Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow, and I'm not sure they'd be for me. I didn't get on with Dubliners and don't feel much inclined to carry on with Joyce. I haven't read any Thomas Pynchon. I do enjoy poetry, though, and when I read poetry I often read my favourite poems twice. I probably do read poetry slightly slower overall, but it's hard to tell when poetry collections are so short.
I would say that when I read, I'm reading for fun and enjoyment, for great stories and great characters, more than for literary analysis - or at least, I've always been more interesting in thematic literary analysis over close reading anyway. I did English literature (and History) at university and always enjoyed literary analysis at the thematic, larger level more, though I of course did some close reading at times.
I should also say that I don't edit at the pace I read at all - editing speeds vary a lot depending on what stage I'm editing, but for most line edits or copy-edits, I get through about 12 pages an hour. But when I'm editing, I'm interrogating or reworking the punctuation/wording/structure of every sentence, making timeline and continuity notes, fact-checking and researching around it, etc., so that's very different. Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if part of the reason why I read fast when I'm reading for fun is so I don't start accidentally editing the novels I'm reading in my head, which is a danger and can skew the reading experience!
I love audiobooks a lot and often get a rich reading experience from them. I reread a lot on audiobook (especially for classics), and I've very occasionally come across a reading/emphasis that feels like an interpretation, but that doesn't happen too often for me. I'm an author, too, and interestingly, when I listened to the audiobook of my own novel, I felt like the reader had read it exactly as it was in my head. I may have been lucky - maybe I won't feel that for every audiobook of my own, but it was kind of wild to me how exactly she got all the nuance and emphasis I intended.
@@katiejlumsden That is such an incredibly generous reply!
Joyce and Pynchon were just placeholders for “dense and difficult.” I find that my reading speed varies not only with print density (as you mentioned), but with the texture of the language, my desire to remember detail, etc. I was just curious how these things worked for you, since I had found your video so interesting. Your answer above is as thorough and generous as I’ve ever seen a content creator offer on this platform-which makes you pretty awesome. Thanks so much for sharing more about your process with me! Happy reading and writing; I envy you the experience of hearing your own words in audiobook form. I really should make the time to write more seriously. My job, my kid, and my reading addiction take up lots of time, but the satisfaction of creating a world out of words must be immense, and has been an aspiration of mine since I was a child. It just takes a lot of discipline to stay on task. Your example is inspiring, though. Cheers!
Thanks so much!
I enjoy working a jigsaw puzzle while listening to an audio book.
Oh yes, me too! I forgot to mention that.
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I do have a very visual reading experience, and my speed is average 30 pages per hour. Maybe there is something to that.
There are times when I read that feels like I'm watching a movie, espeially when the book is written like that, so reading someone like Hemingway or Donna Tartt or even Tolkien is a breeze for me. I have a harder time however on books say a lot of things rather than just showing me things, if that makes sense. Maybe that is why I did not enjoy Babel by RF Kuang
This is so interesting. I wonder if my lack of visual imagination is one of the reasons I don't get on with Hemingway or Donna Tartt then!
I've just got into audiobooks and that is helping me a lot, but I can't listen to them at a faster speed because it sounds like chipmunks to me. I wonder how many authors have aphantasia, I would make it harder to write which is fascinating.
I think in a way it makes it easier to write. I think about this a lot, but I know some writers who struggle to get what's in their head on the page, whereas it sort of isn't in my head unless it's on the page, and I think in a way that helps? I think John Green has posted online before about having aphantasia.
interesting that you talk about the size of the words on the page.. reading is definitely not one of the things the eyes evolved to do and can strain the eyes depending on the size of the font. traditional books are all over the place in this respect. maybe e-readers is a better choice as you can tailor the page for comfort.
Can someone please tell me how many hours per day she reads?
how do you find good books to read It has been challenging finding books i enjoy
I suppose because I've loved reading for a while, I've got a decent sense of what I like, and that helps me find books I enjoy? So the more you read, the more you narrow down your tastes.
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Shaping books to fit the market sounds like jeopardizing novelty or creativity.
It's not about shaping books to fit the market; it's about editing with an awareness of the market. A lot of authors write with the market in mind, too; they know their audience and what kind of book they want to write. The way I view being an editor is that it's all about making the novel as strong as it can be while ensuring the novel remains true to itself. As an editor, you have to make a lot of calls and give a lot of advice, and sometimes it's hard to judge whether your instinct is right or based on your own subjective taste; the market is a useful reference point there. If I instinctively feel that a book is too slow-paced or too fast-paced, then thinking about it in the context of other books in a similar area can help me judge whether my instinct is right or not. And if a book is doing something subversive and different, I'm going to be more able to help an author do that well if I understand what they're subverting, if you see what I mean.
@@katiejlumsden Good clarification, thanks. I wonder whether editors are as involved in the creative process in other linguistic areas. I’d say (but I’m not in the business) they aren’t in my own.
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I'm every imaginative & a slow reader 😂
Jesus, and I though breaking 100 last year was a huge achievement.
I just love her. I wish she wouldn’t engage in uptalk, and delete the word like from her vocabulary. Slow down!
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