I used to think reading is just reading.
It’s what we learn at school, right?
But since becoming a writer, I’ve discovered that how I read impacts both my productivity and the quality of my writing.
I apply a different reading method depending on my goal:
- Do I want to deepen my knowledge?
- Do I need ideas?
- Do I want to improve my writing skills?
Of course, I also read for pleasure. I like to escape into a novel or memoir, to learn from other people’s life choices. I find wisdom and encouragement in books. Books widen my world.
But that’s for another time.
Shall I explain the 3 ways to read and become a better writer?
1. How to remember what you read
Do you ever feel that what you read doesn’t quite stick?
When we focus on the quantity rather than the quality of our reading, we read in a passive way. We consume words, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters but we don’t integrate new ideas with what we know already, and we’ll easily forget what we’ve read.
Yet, one of the most common reading goals for business writers is to deepen or widen our expertise. We want to remember what we’ve read. We want to get wiser and more knowledgeable.
In their book How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, distinguish 4 levels for such reading:
- Elementary reading means understanding what a sentence says; it’s what we learn at school when we first learn to read.
- Inspectional reading means skimming a text in a systematic way to get the gist of its message in a limited time frame. You check the table of contents, the intro, and maybe some chapter conclusions.
- Analytical reading means taking the time to gain a deeper understanding of what a book is teaching. Which problems does the book try to solve and how? Which problems remain unsolved? Do you agree or disagree with the authors?
- Syntopical reading means compiling a bibliography on a certain topic and reading books in relation to each other.
The higher the level of reading, the more active our reading becomes and the more we’ll learn.
But this doesn’t mean we always aim for the higher levels of reading. To use our reading time more wisely, skimming helps.
Skimming a book allows you to understand its structure and the gist of its message so it becomes easier to understand and retain the knowledge on a second, more detailed reading.
Moreover, skimming helps evaluate whether a book is worth reading. There are far too many superficial books that aren’t worth reading completely but may have one or two chapters that are worth our attention. Skimming helps to focus on what’s worth reading.
When we decide a book is worth our time, we can read it more actively—we can make connections with our accumulated knowledge. This not only helps retain new knowledge, it also helps write a more interesting and original article about what we’ve learned. We don’t just summarize what we’ve learned, we put our learning in context, adding our own experiences, examples, and stories.
How to read to deepen or widen your knowledge:
Reading is more than consuming sentences. To become a more productive reader and writer, learn to vary your reading speed and carefully select the books or articles that are worth reading more actively.
2. How to read to hunt for ideas
I’ve learned that I’m more productive as a writer if I hunt for ideas while reading.
What piques my curiosity? What idea sparks interest? Which idea can I turn into my next blog post?
I mostly read on Kindle and highlight ideas and examples of good writing. I reread these highlights to decide what’s most interesting, and think about ways to link to what I know already so I can quickly turn an idea into a blog post.
Keeping the process from reading to writing short helps me stay productive. Moreover, writing about what I learn is the most active way to engage with a text, and it’s also one of the best ways to retain new knowledge.
But what’s the best hunting ground for ideas?
If you only read books appearing on bestseller lists and content going viral on social media, then you’re reading the same as everything else. So, it becomes likely that you’ll produce similar content to everyone else. Not a good way to add value and build an engaged audience.
Clive Thompson suggests rewilding our attention:
If you want to have wilder, curiouser thoughts, you have to avoid the industrial monocropping of big-tech feeds.
To rewild your attention, pay attention to the books or articles your favorite writers recommend or refer to. It also helps to follow your curiosity and get out of your comfort zone. What would you like to learn about next?
Reading about a variety of topics can boost your creativity. As Tim Harford explains in his book Messy, research shows that highly productive scientists move between topics more often than their less productive peers.
How to read and get inspired as a writer:
To become a more productive writer, rewild your attention, hunt for ideas, and make the process from idea to blog post as short as possible.
3. How to improve your writing skills
X-ray reading is a completely different way of reading. It’s key to improving your writing skills. A super-power.
X-ray reading is like reverse-engineering. When you reverse-engineer a bicycle, you disassemble it to understand how all parts fit together, and you try to put the bike together again.
In a similar way, you can take a piece of writing apart to understand how it works. It’s one of the most valuable skills to learn as a writer (and you can learn it in the Enchanting Blog Writing course).
For instance, if you X-ray read this post, you may notice the following:
- This post comprises an opening, 3 sections, and a final paragraph; a simple, clear structure makes it easier to follow the ideas.
- Each section explains one reading method and how to use it to gain knowledge, boost productivity, or up your writing skills.
- Each section ends with a clincher—a quick summary to reinforce key points.
You can X-ray read on a more detailed level, too. For instance, you might have noticed how I used a metaphor to explain X-ray reading: I compared it to disassembling and then re-assembling a bicycle.
When I started X-ray reading, I became obsessive. I analyzed everything I read.
It’s how I learned to structure my writing, fine-tune my word choice, and pay attention to rhythm. It’s how I learned to tell miniature stories and how to use creative writing techniques.
It’s how I became a better writer.
How to improve your writing skills through X-ray reading:
To practice your X-ray skills, focus on one aspect of writing at a time.
For instance, if you find structure hard, study how others structure their writing. If you want to write better openings, study how opening paragraphs captivate you and make you want to read on. If you want add pizzazz to your writing, observe how others choose words and use techniques like metaphors and strong imagery.
To become a better writer, become a better X-ray reader.
Books are my favorite teachers
Books are patient.
They allow me to read at a pace that suits me, and I can re-read paragraphs as often as I like.
Books also don’t get upset when I want to skip a couple of chapters. Or when I put a book down to read something else first. Or when after reading a few pages, I decide this book isn’t for me.
Books kindly share their knowledge and wisdom, and they patiently teach me how to become a better writer.
Happy reading, my friends.
Books mentioned in this post:
- How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren
- Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives by Tim Harford
Recommended articles on how to read:
How reading feeds my writing habit
Swipe files: How pro writers nurture their skills
20+ writing examples: Learn how to dissect & emulate good writing
I would like to share another technique with all the techniques that you have revealed here.
when I read a book, I use to underline the sentences or the paragraphs which trigger my interest and open up a new horizon of ideas. It reduces energy and time.
Thanks for your precious ideas regarding reading.
I like underlining, too. As I mostly read on Kindle, I highlight digitally. It’s the same thing. Makes it easy to re-read the sentences and paragraphs I found most interesting.
Happy reading, Indranil! And thank you for stopping by. I much appreciate it.
Hi Henneke,
Thank you so much for sharing such kinds of post with us, Recently I have started my own blog, before this I am confused how can I write content for my blog. But after reading this I am more confident and write content for my blog easily.
Thanks:)
Regards: Maria Walker
I’m glad you found this useful, Maria. Happy writing!
Hi Henneke, Thanks for writing these posts. I started my own blog and your posts and your course on blog writing have guided me a lot in becoming an excellent writer.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my course on blog writing, Mary. Happy blogging!
Hi Henneke,
I really love the idea of ‘re-wilding’ that you mention in your post. It’s so easy to end up glued to my social media feeds these days and I also tend to revisit old favourites when I read, rather than finding something new.
Do you have any recommendations of books and/ or authors you have enjoyed recently? Any suggestions would be so welcome.
Thank you 💛
I love the idea of re-wilding, too!
Most recently, I loved A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway, both by Amor Towles. He’s an amazing storyteller.
My faves last year included Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and The Eloquence of the Sardine: The Secret Life of Fish & Other Underwater Mysteries by Bill Francois—you may like this last one as it’s about the underwater world of fish.
Favorite memoirs I read in the last year: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May, Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi, and The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Other great novels: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Any old favorites you’d recommend? 💙
That’s a wonderful list! Such intriguing names, too.
You are right, The Eloquence of the Sardine sounds right up my street 😄. Mind you, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating has a lot of appeal as well.
I spend much of my reading time last year revisiting the The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters — a wonderful series set in the late 1100’s near Shrewsbury about a monk-detective who took up a vocation late in life at the Abbey there. Amazing characters, relationships, stories and history.
I also love Joanna Trollope, her novels explore the emotions and psychology of routine, contemporary situations with amazing nuance.
Final pick for me is Joy Packer, because she wrote a lot of novels set in Southern Africa which I last read as a young adult; re-reading them now makes me gasp and gulp at what I did not notice before, but also
gives me hope that the world has somewhat changed for the better in a lot of ways.
Books are such comforting things for me. I still like to read paper books, but also delve into Kindle for convenience at times.
I hope you’ll enjoy The Eloquence of the Sardine. I loved his sensory writing and learned so much about fish.
I’m adding your recommendations to my reading list. Thank you so much.
And yes, reading provides so much comfort to me, too. One of the most uplifting books that I read last year was Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. I was hesitant to read it because the description didn’t resonate with me but I’m glad I read it.
Happy reading!
Hello Henneke,
Oh man, I’ve been reading all wrong. 🤣🤷♀️🤔😆 I mean, not really, but there are definite areas that need work! lol
I am horrible at skimming. I can skim an intro, skim the table of contents, and then before I know it, I am completely engrossed in the writing.
I need to develop some x-ray vision.
I have a hard time reading on a kindle or even blog posts. I can’t seem to retain what I have read and sometimes have to reread the same passage 3-4 times. If I read something that I need to remember, I write it down or print it.
I love articles like this. They make you pause and think about how you do things and what you can improve.
Thank you.
SharlaAnn
You’re not alone! I think it’s just really hard for everyone to retain anything when we’re just reading.
We have to engage with a text more actively to make it stick. Highlighting or underlining key passages can help, and then reading the highlighted paragraphs again. Making a summary in your own words is even better. And the best way to retain anything is to write about it or to tell someone else about it. That’s also when we realize the gaps in our knowledge and can review a text again to bridge those gaps. I think this is just how our brains work. We can’t remember from just reading once.
I can do a lot better, too. I can be quite a lazy reader!
Honestly you nailed it…i cant thank you enough for this…analytical reading hehe i remember school days…..well done
What’s so much better now than at school is that we can choose what we want to read and learn!
Hi Henneke,
It was a great read! I really look forward to reading your new articles. I can’t thank you enough for helping me in my writing journey. I have learned a lot from all your different articles, and implementing your tips in my process has been a great help. I shared my recent draft with a friend, and he said that it is so much better than previous ones. Thanks, Henneke for sharing insights about writing, it has been very helpful.
It makes me happy to know that your writing is improving. Thanks so much for letting me know, John. Happy writing!
Great post, Henneke.
I read Mortimer Alder’s book decades ago and it is a must read. Remember: he wrote this book way before
Kindles existed. So, his skimming methods are better suited
to physical books.
I have a hard time skimming on my Kindle. I do like the ability to highlight and easily add notes. But I mostly use it to read for pleasure. Just a personal preference.
Yes, Adler and Van Doren’s book is a classic from before Kindle, and they don’t discuss reading electronically at all.
I’ve found that with some practice many of the skimming techniques also work on Kindle. For instance, it’s easy on Kindle to keep an eye on a table of contents, understand the structure of a book and remind yourself where you are in this structure. I’ve also found myself skimming through chapters that are less interesting. I’m still exploring and adapting my reading methods.
There are advantages and disadvantages of reading electronically, and there’s no one choice that suits all. I just don’t have the space for more print books plus heavy books can be hard for me to hold. A Kindle never gets heavy!
OMG ‘Rewilding our attention’ – I love it! I like to read obscure self-published books without mass appeal. Sometimes they aren’t as immediately palatable as a best-seller, but they often have unusual and interesting ideas. I thought I was just being contrary, but now I can say I’m ‘rewilding my attention!’
I love the phrase rewilding our attention, too. I have been doing it for years, just never had a name for it until I came across Clive Thompson’s article. It’s good, eh?
Happy reading, Ann! And thank you for stopping by.
Henneke,
Another great post. I so enjoy and benefit from your thoughts and experience
I have loved books since I was just a child. All kinds and all types.
It’s the magic of books that led me into writing, mostly for myself.
The writing helps me explore, go on little trips without a ticket. Get my ya-ya’s out, get them in the light to gain a different perspective.
Now, many years later, i tecently wrote a piece about my love of books.
“I like muffins” sums it all up for me. Although slowly losing my center vision in both eyes, my love of reading and holding that book remains the same.
I hope all of you can experience the wonder and magic of a story well told, over and over again.
Somehow, I believe you all do
Regards
Dennis M.
There were a few years in my corporate career when I hardly read. I now look back and wonder, how did I survive without books? I’ve always loved reading, and I’ve learned so much from books.
I’m so sorry you’re losing the center vision in both eyes. I hope that won’t affect your joy of reading too much.
And yes to the wonder and magic of storytelling.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Dennis.
Henneke, I’m totally with you on all the types of reading you covered. Reading is one of my absolute daily joys and my greatest teacher, and as a nonfiction magazine writer, I appreciate your reminder about logical writing structure. If your structure isn’t right, your house will fall down.
This is probably my most favorite blog of yours from all my years of getting your newsletter. Thanks especially for this one!
Also, I receive three regular newsletters that recommend old and new books that I will enjoy and/or profit from. So much free help!
Yes, yes, reading is such a joy. I agree with you 🙂
And wow, so interesting that this is your favorite blog of mine. Thank you for letting me know.
Skimming this post on a pre-read I’m looking forward to going back and really getting into it.
First I gotta figure out where I put my X-ray glasses I ordered out of that vintage comic book.
Seriously. Thanks again for the inspiration and letting us know it’s not crazy to skim.
And reminding us to read widely. Strengthening your ability putting different pieces together to come up with more creative stuff.
Do you ever get inspiration from art books? For both your drawings and writing and how they can work together?
“Does knowledge limit your imagination?”-From Henry Carroll’s, “Photographs that make you think; Animals.”
Thanks again,
Stay safe
I rarely read art books but do read graphic novels and comics sometimes or other books that combine drawings and writings. I learned a lot from observing how others combine words and imagery.
I just started reading a book about The Practice of Contemplative Photography as I was curious about how photographers practice the art of noticing and how they put “one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis” (that’s a quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson).
I’ll check out the book you mention, too. Thank you.
Ha, this is an original post! I like it. I totally agree with Clive Thompson > get away from the well trodden paths. Just as it killing for your creativity to only follow information that gets sent to your inbox etc. The best thing is to ask your own questions and search answers actively.
Or read and watch a lot of different things. Cross fertilisation is a necessity.
But to be totally honest with you, I om often not in the mood to spend a lot of time reading non fiction just to find new ideas. I just want to sink into a nice story.
Thank you, Kitty. I’m glad you like it. It’s a bit different from what I usually write.
My first rule of reading is to only read what I enjoy. That’s also true for non-fiction. So, I only hunt for ideas in books that can keep my attention. Life is too short for reading uninteresting books. And I love reading good stories; it helps me relax.
Henneke,
just what I needed to read now. It’s like you can read my mind! Looking forward to the bonus session. Your course on Blog writing was, as you know transformative! 🙂
I’m glad my telepathic powers are still working 😉 Thank you for stopping by, Paul. See you at the bonus webinar 🙂
Hi Henneke, I’m glad to see skimming counts for something too 🙂 I love to skim many articles. However, I do have trouble remembering sometimes the exact details of what I’ve read. I can remember the articles but not all the details.
Thanks for explaining the different ways of reading and how it can help us come up with ideas. Who doesn’t need more ideas to write?
I stopped skimming for a few years because I felt that it was scattering my attention too much. Adler & Van Doren helped me see the value of skimming so I’ve started skimming again as a kind of pre-reading and a way to evaluate whether I want to read something.