How to Read Novels for Longer Periods of Time

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Reading a long book in one week may seem like an impossible job, particularly if you are non a large fan of reading. Possibly yous have been putting off reading a long book for a course or mayhap yous just desire to read a long book in a calendar week as a personal achievement. Any your reason, there are several strategies you can use to accomplish your goal of reading a long book in a week.

1. 1

   Chronicle what you read to what yous know. Reading a long book can be a challenge if you have no interest in the volume's subject. To make reading a long book more fun, try to chronicle it to something that is familiar to y'all or at to the lowest degree endeavour to understand the context of the book to make it more than familiar.

   • For instance, if the book is about a love triangle between 3 fictional characters, try to relate their situation to something that happened to a friend of yours or to the plot of a movie you like.
   • Or, if you are reading a book that was written over 100 years ago, practise a niggling research about the author, the yr the book was written, and the identify where the author lived. This may help to make the book seem more approachable.^[1]

2. ii

   Become into a instructor's mindset. Pretend that you will have to teach someone what y'all are about to read and then read with that in listen. Consider how you would draw a character, event, or concept to someone who has not read the book. This volition prompt your encephalon to call up the cloth and make information technology easier for you write or answer questions about the material afterwards on.

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3. 3

   Identify questions that y'all want to answer. If you are reading the volume for a grade, then you lot might take a paper or test that will require you to draw on what you lot have read. Identify the questions that you might take to answer earlier you lot start reading. This will make information technology easier to stay focused and avoid getting overwhelmed by other data.^[2]

4. 4

   Visualize what yous read. Using visualization can as well make reading more fun and help you to remember important information. Every bit yous read, pause now and then to imagine what the characters in the book look similar, what the setting looks like, or how an of import scene might have looked.

   • You lot can also use this strategy to help you retrieve of import dates, names, and other facts as you read. For example, if the book yous are reading describes an of import boxing, accept a moment to imagine the scene. Imagine that the date of the boxing and other important information almost it are stamped onto the image.

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1. ane

   Determine your time frame. Consider how many hours you lot tin dedicate to reading per 24-hour interval. Take into consideration all of your obligations. Write down your routine to make up one's mind how much time you tin can realistically set aside for reading. Summate the time you lot spend:

   • Sleeping
   • Working
   • Attention school
   • Doing misc. activities (sports, extra curricular activities, studying, homework, etc)
   • Having free fourth dimension where you will not be reading

2. two

   Calculate how many pages y'all have to read. Once you lot have a dedicated corporeality of fourth dimension yous have set aside to read, consider how many pages you take to read every 24-hour interval to finish the book by the end of a calendar week. For example, if you accept a 300 page book to read in vii days, you can realistically wait to accept to read near 43 pages per mean solar day. That is 300 pages divided by 7 days.

   • If you want to determine how many pages you have to read per hour using this calculation, split up number of pages per twenty-four hour period past hours yous expect to read per twenty-four hours. For example, if you plan on reading for two hours a day, that would be 21.5 pages per hour. You may need to spend more than or less time reading every day depending on the length of your book and how fast y'all can read.
   • Consider reading as much equally you can in the first day or two of the week. Rather than spacing out your reading evenly, y'all might try to read about of the book in the kickoff 2 days of the week. This will give yous a head start and provide a absorber in case you have to skip a twenty-four hours. For case, if you have a 300 page volume to read, try reading 100 pages on the offset twenty-four hour period of the week and 75 on the 2nd day. Then you volition simply have to read 125 pages over the next five days.

3. 3

   Remove distractions. Yous will retain more than of what y'all read and be able to read more easily if you are in a placidity environs that is free of distractions. Some expert ways to minimize distractions include:

   • Reading in an empty, tranquillity room.
   • Reading in a library.
   • Using noise-canceling headphones to create a quiet environment.
   • Putting on white noise or soft, non-distracting music to help you concentrate.

4. 4

   Set a timer. It is easy to get lazy and stop reading before you should. If you lot take a fix number of pages to read in a certain amount of time, set a timer for yourself. Force yourself to read until the timer goes off.

   • To finish burnout, consider the "20 minutes on, 5 minutes off" method. This is where you lot fix a timer for twenty minutes and force yourself to concentrate without taking breaks. When the timer goes off, let yourself spend five minutes doing something you enjoy (or nothing at all!)

5. 5

   Employ a pointer. Studies have shown that readers retain more and read more quickly by using something that points to the text.^[3] This allows your eyes to follow along with the text. The simplest pointer to use is the tip of your finger. Yous can also try:

   • Using a ruler and placing it nether the line of text y'all are reading.
   • Following along with the point of a pencil.
   • If reading an Ebook, setting the font to take a single line of text visible when reading until prompted to a new folio.

6. 6

   Read the introductions and the conclusions first. Past skimming a text, you can read more in a short flow of time. However, you may not retain the information that you read. One mode yous can retain more and still read rapidly is to read the introductory paragraph(southward) and conclusion paragraph(s) of each chapter. These should highlight the main arguments and findings of the affiliate.

   • Past doing this, y'all will too exist more probable to empathise the entire chapter if you have the key argument/idea in heed while y'all read.
   • In the introduction, look for the writer's argument. Generally, an introduction is made upwardly of an attending grabber (ordinarily the commencement part of the introduction) and and then the key argument/thesis argument/enquiry question. This is the judgement(due south) you desire to await for; information technology volition give you exactly what the author intends to hash out in her writing.^[iv]
   • Similar to the introduction, the conclusion too should incorporate the author's initial argument. Information technology should as well contain some sort of findings or conclusion of key points. It will help to give y'all a general idea of what the writing is most.
   • This technique is mostly used for non-fiction in which yous are trying to procedure information. Y'all can do this while reading fiction, just you might miss graphic symbol or plot development.

7. 7

   Speed read. This technique requires yous to train your eyes to brand less movements when reading a page.^{[5] [6]} To learn to speed read, effort to:

   • Embrace text yous have already read by using an index card.
   • Train your optics to stop on fewer words by trying to not focus on each individual word.
   • Try RSVP (reading rapid serial visual presentation) software. This software volition flash a single word at a fourth dimension on the screen, preparation your brain to recognize words more apace.

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1. 1

   Employ glutinous notes. Using visual markers, like sticky notes, volition assistance yous read faster considering you will exist visually reminding yourself of what you accept read.

   • You tin can use these visual cues to mark chapters already read, passages you struggled with, or inspiring quotes.

2. 2

   Annotate your book. Making notes of what you read and how you felt about information technology is an excellent way to become a faster reader.^[7] It forces you lot to write downwards your reactions and emotions as you read. You will be more probable to remember what you have read and as well make connections to further reading. Some means to annotate include:

   • Highlighting passages yous find interesting, intriguing, or important.
   • Summarizing chapters/paragraphs to capture main ideas, findings, or arguments.
   • Noting reactions/emotions/questions you have in the margins of the book.
   • Underlining of import words or phrases.
   • Writing the definition of unknown or confusing words/concepts.

3. 3

   Subvocalize. Subvocalization is applying silent speech to reading. Information technology may help you read faster because you are not only reading the words with your listen, but as well forming the words with your mouth. To exercise subvocalization, form each discussion silently as y'all read.^[8]

   • You tin can exercise this without moving your lips by pretending to read out loud the text in your mind in a conversational tone, equally if you were talking to someone.
   • This action is disputed by scientists. Some say that this is a great way to learn to speed reading, while others fence that it actually slows down the reading process. Requite this technique a endeavor to see if it works for you lot.^[ix]

4. 4

   Slow downwardly at certain parts. While your showtime instinct may be to read as fast you can to finish the book, yous probably will not retain a lot of what you have read this way. Instead, when you come up to an interesting or of import part of the text, tedious downwards your reading. Try to internalize what y'all are learning. This will aid your reading speed in the long run as it helps with comprehension.

   • The more you lot read, the more than y'all will acquire to recognize "important" parts of the text. For instance, yous may want to slow down when reading the introduction in order to actually cover the material.

5. v

   Practice! Just like anything in life, reading quickly takes practise! If you lot want to try to increment your read speed, endeavour to calculate how many pages you read per minutes. And so, endeavor and vanquish your personal record. Simply make sure you are understanding what you read!

   • Attempt and read more for pleasure to naturally increment your reading speed.
   • Time yourself when reading when you aren't under a deadline. Push yourself to read a set number of pages faster. Set goals for yourself.
   • Avoid getting frustrated when reading. If y'all recall you read too slow, the worst thing you can do is get frustrated and quit. Instead, keep at it! You will amend over time.

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1. ane

   Find a tranquillity spot. To really "sink into" a good book, yous must commencement find a comfy spot. Try different locations around your abode to see what relaxes you the most. Try some of these spots:

   • A quiet, infrequently used room.
   • A sunny spot exterior.
   • In the bath.
   • The living room on your favorite burrow.

2. 2

   Avoid reading in bed. If you sit down in bed and attempt to read for pleasure, you might brand yourself so relaxed y'all will autumn comatose. Avoid reading right before bed as you will teach your body that reading means that it is time to slumber.^[10]

   • Furthermore, reading on a backlit screen (similar an ereader, phone, or tablet) may arrive harder to autumn asleep!^[11]

3. 3

   Schedule time for reading. But like having to read for an consignment, you lot should also schedule yourself to read for pleasure. Sometimes, it is easy to occupy yourself with work and other activities.^[12] Look at your daily or weekly schedule and block out a infinite that is just dedicated to reading. This will too assuage any guilt you might feel by reading for fun rather than accomplishing something else!

   • Endeavor blacking-out or writing on a agenda that you intend to read. This volition give a visual reminder to you lot and anyone trying to schedule appointments with you. ^[13]
   • For example, on a calendar, mark out a 24-hour interval and time you desire to spend reading. Pick a twenty-four hours of the week, like Tuesday, and an hr you are free, say 12-1pm, and commit yourself to reading each week at that hour.

4. 4

   Commit. If you enjoy reading, do not let it become something you surrender because something else comes upwardly. If you have scheduled time to read, then read. If you lot are having a stressful day and would rather practise something else, forcefulness yourself to read for a short period of time. Chances are, it will aid to de-stress yous and assist calm you lot down.

   • Past committing yourself to reading, you will more likely read more than and more quickly.
   • Scientists suggest that information technology takes 21 days to break or build a addiction. Try and a keep consistent reading addiction for 21 days to ingrain reading as a daily addiction.^[fourteen]

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Add New Question

• Question

  Tin I annotate a novel I read for pleasance?

  

  Yes, you tin can. After you lot have read the book a few times and truly understand it, you can start annotating information technology.

• Question

  Is it better if I read a book online or go a copy of i for myself?

  

  Get a real copy of it because you might get distracted on a digital device (social media could exist a distraction) and stop reading information technology.

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