Priceless Writing TipsTop 3 Critical Reading Strategies for Thoughtful Writing

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Reading is the reverse side of writing. Just like yin and yang or like Internet Explorer and Windows, reading and writing are inseparable. By becoming better readers, we inevitably become better writers at the same time.
Interestingly, it’s never too late to improve our reading skills (and we don’t mean speed reading here). We mean becoming critical readers – reading between the lines and getting the most from any text.
Here are top 3 proven critical reading strategies which will assuredly help you become a better reader and writer.

Critical Reading Strategy 1: A Two-Way Street
Reading is a way of communication. And it’s up to us to make it as effective as possible. How do you imagine reading?
Wrong: Skimming the text, without making a single pause, nodding your head to every word.
Right: Not taking anything for granted, making pauses to ask the author imaginary questions: ‘Why?’ ‘Really?’ ‘How do you prove that?’ etc.
A few more questions to ask while reading:

• Is the author’s position clear? (Do you see a strong thesis statement?)
• Are the arguments strong enough?
• Are there logical transitions between different parts?
• What persuasion tricks does the author use? Do they work?

Critical Reading Strategy 2: Reread Whenever Necessary
When analyzing texts, you might need to reread certain parts:

• to check the text for consistency;
• to improve your understanding of an issue;
• to evaluate the author’s logic.

Critical Reading Strategy 3: Create the Right Conditions
Don’t expect too much and too soon. Critical reading requires much energy, concentration and persistence. The essential steps to becoming a thoughtful reader and effective writer are:

1. Be realistic and allot enough time to reading sessions;
2. Avoid distractions – even if you are a multi-tasker, combining active reading with anything else is impossible. Simply accept the fact, turn off the TV and log out from Twitter.
3. Allocate your time wisely. Choose the time when your energy levels are highest. Don’t waste your time reading if you feel exhausted.
4. Make a schedule of reading sessions. Don’t give up after the first try.

Critical reading is important not only for achieving writing expertise, but also for opening our minds. In most cases, we can’t fully trust whatever we read in newspapers or see on TV.
So, next time when reading another celebrity gossip or listening to ‘sensation’ news on the radio, let’s turn on our filter of ‘critical thinking.’
Stay tuned and stay critical!