I think good readers shouldn't merely reread a book. They should be active in the process of getting ideas out of the pages, I suppose a symphony of smiles, laughs and frowns should be found on their faces.

smksmkwan

Smksmkwan's Blog

My mother once found me re-reading a book and gave me a solid tongue-lashing (something she was very good at) for not finding something else to read. I managed to ignore the directive - which is good, because otherwise I would probably now be on or close to the dole like too many of the rest of my birth family.

Unless you're a far better man (M/F) than I am, you won't get all the juice out of a book the first time. If I don't see enough in it to want to reread it, I will soon forget it. The good volumes, from Lord of the Rings to the Bible, have stuff in them that might only make sense years later, after you've lived some more, read some more, grasped more of your own experiences and those of others. For a scientist, moreover, "re-reading" extends to "re-doing" - as nothing on the page/screen is worth the paper/phosphors it's printed on until I know I - or at least somebody else who knows how to operate the cyclotron - can do it too.

Writing - to the extent that I can claim to know anything about it - is a bit harder to nail down. Reading is important, but for what purpose? Herman Melville did a lot of reading, but his readers hated Moby Dick - until after he had died, penniless. J. R. R. Tolkien was one of the most well-read persons of the 20th century, and that reading shines through every page - you see a little more of it every reading. Tolkien was lucky enough to live (barely) long enough to see Lord of the Rings shift almost overnight, eight years after it was published, from a remainder item to "the greatest fantasy novel of all time", and thus escape Melville's fate. I can only conclude that "good writing" is a combination of reading, living, talent, Bukowski's "burning gut", and a whole lotta luck.

.. that good readers make good writers. I think you could be complete book-worm but still lack the capability to put ideas into words. I guess good reading helps but it also depends what type of writing you are talking about.

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I don't think that all good readers make good writers. HOwever, to be a truly great writer, I do think you need to be a good reader. As for what type of writing...if you are a SEO and copywriter (like I am right now) then you should read and be familiar with that writing, if you write novels, you should read novels, etc.

Later

The copywriting aspect was exactly what I was thinking of!! So reading tons of horror, for example, would probably have little influence on copywriting techniques! Heheh. How did you get into copywriting by the way? What kind of copy do you write? I've just started the AWAI's copywriting course: looks good.

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