Saturday, January 14, 2012

Who Wants To Speed Read?


Everyone is in a hurry these days.  Faster cars, faster computers, faster ways to publish books.  And now we are expected to learn how to speed read so we can hope to process, in a timely manner, all this information being thrown at us.

Speed reading comes with inherit dangers.  The danger of overlooking something important due to skimming over things instead of taking the time to actually comprehend what you are reading.  The danger of traveling down a road you didn't really want to travel simply because you were going too fast to put on the brakes.  Or even the danger of missing out on the pure joy of reading  in your rush to the last page.


I've decided to start a new campaign.  The SLOW DOWN campaign where to be a member, all you have to do is SLOW DOWN!  


Stop and smell the roses...


Kick back and relax...


Slow down and read a book.

I mean, after all, we writers take a lot of time and effort to create that perfect story.  Blood, sweat, and a few tears have gone into each rewrite on our way to that final draft.  Shouldn't that effort be rewarded with others slowing down long enough to actually savor the moment?


In my school visits yesterday, I read Earnest by Catherine Rayner, to my kids.  I was eager to get to the ending so I could show them the wonderful solution to Earnest's problem.  I thought I was reading at a slow pace while I attempted to draw my audience deeper into the story.

When I announced "the end" and closed the book, I was brought back to reality when a little girl in the front row looked at me and said, "Boy, that was a short story.  Read it again"!  It wasn't that the story was too short.  It was that I read too fast for her to fully enjoy the wonderful tale Catherine Rayner had created in her picture book.  So I began again, and this time I took my own advice.

I slowed down.  Lesson learned.



14 comments:

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    1. Yep! But she had a point...either I was going too fast for her or she liked the story so much she wanted an encore!

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  2. Ditto, janet! And excellent points all, Donna!

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  3. Donna, you stated this so well. I especially see this in our American culture compared to life in other countries. We are a country based on getting things done fast. We definitely need to slow down. Glad I stopped by your blog today through Comment Challenge. BTW, so cool that you have a 4th degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo!

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    1. Thanks, Blessy, for stopping by! I completely agree with you. Although I discovered while working with the people from Hawaii a few years back that they have a mindset like Europeans. Everything was done on island time and THAT didn't always mesh with MY time! I'm glad you liked today's post...you might want to check out my contest at http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-yeara-new-easy-contest.html if you want a chance to win some great writing reference guides. Winners will be drawn by Jan 31st! Come back any time! And thanks about the 4th Degree...it only took me 10 years to get it! If I can manage THAT, surely I can get a book published! Lol

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  4. I think you are right. It is nice to slow down and really enjoy a book. However... as far as INHERITANCE goes, I really need to speed read. That book is way too big with way too much information. It's killing me to finish it!

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  5. Lol...Leigh, maybe you could find a copy of that book on tape and play it while you sleep...maybe some of it will sink in while you slumber? ;0) Thanks for stopping by...come back any time!

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  6. Very good points, Donna. (And I am now singing "Slow down, you move too fast...")

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  7. Lol...good song, Beth! Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I've done some speed reading, but these days with a little less pressure and little more time, I'm pacing the books better and enjoying them more. Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Welcome, MotherReader! I'm honored you found the time to stop by! I'm finding that it isn't that I need to slow down, but that I need to find the time to read more to begin with! Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. Oops! Had to put the brakes on... I was speed reading to catch up on all your posts, I kinda got behind. Good point though. I am not normally a speed reader, speed typist but not speed reader...lol.
    Loved the incident at school, dito what janet said...
    loved this post... and the pics Donna.

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  10. Welcome back, Diane! I've missed your input...was wondering where you had gone to! I am trying really hard to keep this blog fresh and entertaining so Im shopping for just the right pictures to supplement what I write. Thanks for stopping by!

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