Here
are a handful of grounds to “Read with a
pencil close by.” I found out it is still one of the best advices ever
given to writers or students of the printed text.
Mark Phrases/Sentences & Paragraphs
When
a phrase or paragraph catches my eye and sparks up a desire for complemental musing,
I mark it using a colored pen/pencil or highlighter. I feel much better having a
textual landmark around it, knowing it will arouse zeal whenever I spot it.
A Sign of Commitment
I
pick up a fiction/nonfiction text then grab for a colored pencil or highlighter
and I feel a sense of commitment. The pen/pencil informs every nerve in my body
that I mean business. I aint just
doing this for fun, I intend to come off the reading project with a lesson and
some learned.
Recall Entire Textual Matter
It’s
a lot more easy to call up words from memory if you underline/mark them when
you read. I do that often and when my mind coughs up those peculiar sentences
they usually appear on the wall of my subconscious as images. I visualize the
interesting set of words hemmed in by my scrawls before the title of the book
essentially floats to the surface.
Spot Peculiar
Phrases/Sentences/Paragraphs
I
find I can navigate the text with ease when I circle or box words that
chase my fancy. For me, it’s become less stressful identifying a line or box in the middle of a page, to find the sentence
or phrase it guards. I can pick out these phrases during my research
period. The lines and symbols seem to beg for my attention.
Lookout for Peculiar Twists
Having
a highlighter close by where I can reach it and tag a phrase keeps my faculty
amped up and on the lookout for expressions full of shades of meaning. The
search for inspired language morphs into a conscious, energetic process and for
somebody out to learn a new thing that’s a lot.
That’s
all folks. I guess you know what you need for your next reading exercise
besides the text, that is.
Keep
your pen bleeding.
Akpan
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