READING HABITS

In Japan there is tale about a monk and a gifted swordsman. The monk seeking to educate the swordsman tricked and imprisoned him in a library for several years. During his imprisonment the swordsman, due to boredom, was forced to read all the books. And when the time came for the swordsman’s release he hugged and thanked the monk saying that he had learn a lot during his incarceration. The swordsman’s name was Miyomoto Mushashi the legendary swordsman of Japan.

So how do you read?

Do you require total silence in the surroundings before you begin reading a book? On the other hand, do you need music in order to put you in the mood? Do you read differently a comic book from a novel of Tolstoy? Alternatively, does reading style differ when you read about the red masque of death and the Green Terror, a South American fish also called Aquidens rivulatus.

One of my first jobs in the information industry was that of an abstractor, one who makes abstracts. Now normally when we say abstract we mean the adjective means complicated, for example the painting of the descent is an example of abstract art. The abstract that I used to make as an abstractor refers to the noun, which means a summary of an article or study indicating the content and/or voice of the original. The reader uses an abstract to evaluate the content of an article.

Abstracts are an integral part of any research paper. This is because by reading an abstract the reader can already know nearly all the important information of the study.

Abstracts are also of great use to the largest depositories of articles. There are companies out there that collect and collate articles. These enormous numbers of articles are deposited in a huge database for storage and retrieval. Now these articles are indexed or tagged with descriptors. A search in the database uses these descriptors to collect these articles. The reader is left with an option to select the article he needs. An abstract shortens the selection time a reader has do when processing the article since he need not read the whole text only the abstract. In some cases the information in the abstract is all that is needed, the reader needs not go ay further.

As an abstractor, there two primary skills needed. First, the abstractor must have the ability to write grammatically correct, clear, and concise abstracts. Second, as important, or even more important than the first is the ability to comprehend the article. How can you write the abstract if you do not understand the article? If you do not understand the article, your article will be rubbish.

The way I read an article, as an abstractor is radically different from the way I read a book for pleasure or without time constraints. Reading in preparation for writing an abstract is a task of necessity; if you do not produce an abstract you will not get paid. When reading articles for abstracts the writer has to keep himself in focus, scan the article and identify the main points – in other words deconstruct the article quickly. Fortunately, abstractors relied on the five wise men used by Rudyard Kipling – who, what, when, where and why. Identifying the five Ws of the article, the abstractor could write down a good abstract. Unfortunately, not all articles were malleable to the five Ws; there were times when a complicated expository piece (an essay) or a highly specialized study needed to be abstracted. In such cases, there was no choice but to read the piece and identify the main points. I remember a time when I had to write an abstract for a study on the validity of a geometric formula, mathematical research maybe slim page wise but in terms of complicated content they do pack a wallop. Over time, all abstractors develop techniques to speed up the process of writing. Most abstractors had an arsenal of templates for news reports, essays, product releases, book reviews for all sort of articles.

Reading for abstracting is reading out of necessity, systematic and fast no time to enjoy and digest what one reads. Effective reading but without pleasure of discovery or the joy of self-epiphany.

The second way I read a book is to digest it, taking my time to enjoy the passages. And this type of reading I do not limit to fictional works but to a whole gamut of reading materials that has piqued my interest. The book I might be reading may be about fish keeping, the history of book publishing, “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien or Edgar Allan Poe’s short story with the unassuming title of “A Cask of Amontillado” as long as it keeps me interested I read it at leisurely pace. There are of course books, like cook books and atlases, that are not for leisurely read, however, from time to time you will discover some unassuming books or works that can be a treasure trove for one’s interest.

There is a pleasure one can only find in digesting the words of written work. While gobbling is effective in certain instances true enjoyment of a reading a written work is to mentally savor each bit.

So what are your reading habits?