Better Reader

Today, in the conclusion of our nine-part series, I'm going to tell you why I'm a writer, why I don't have any choice in the matter. We're also going to talk about what I believe is the absolute pinnacle that any reader could ever hope to experience.

If you enjoyed the Better Reader podcast, let me know! My email is [email protected].

Today, in part eight of our nine-part series, we're going to jump headlong into an old debate about who gets to decide what a story really means.

Today, in part seven of our nine-part series, we're going to stop all this dreamy, head-in-the-clouds crap and get practical.

I talked about 4 ideas in this episode (links to resources included below):

1) Book bingo

2) Coming up with a reading plan

3) LibraryThing

4) How many books to keep in your "To Read" list

Today, in part six of our nine-part series, we're going to talk about whether or not you should read like a critic.

Today, in part five of our 9-part series, we're going to talk about the anatomy of successful scenes.

(The content today comes from the idea of Scenes and Sequels, originally proposed by Dwight V. Swain in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer.)

Today, in part four of our nine-part series, I want to talk about the single greatest obstacle for the oh-so-nearly-converted reader: how to make time to read.

Thoughts on the podcast? Email me at [email protected].

Today, in part three of our 9-part series, I want to talk about the role of community in reading.

Reading is naturally a solitary exercise. We almost always read silently. We have to concentrate to do it, so we usually do it alone. It's difficult to find others who want to read exactly what we want, so we direct our own reading.

But I have what some might call a radical idea: I think reading works best when you do it with other people.

Thoughts on the podcast? Email me at [email protected].

Today, in part two of our nine-part series, I want to share with you a spectrum of reading that every book ever published falls along.

This podcast exists because I love to read. I do it every day and every night. I read plenty of nonfiction, far more as an adult than I did as a child, but my great love is in fiction. Still, whatever kind of book it is, I'm always reading something. 

I also happen to know I'm not alone. In the U.S. alone, around 74 percent of the population has read at least one book in the past year. The average person reads more, but there's at least a baseline of reading for most people.

I believe that the topics we're going to cover on Better Reader will convince you that books are worth your time—if you know how to read them right.