How I define my approaches to reading and writing
Pros and cons of digital and analog approaches
As I’ve developed my reading and writing workflow over the years, I’ve noticed a divergence occurring. Reading has only become increasingly more digitized, to the point of recent innovations looping back to make the digital experience more analog (e-ink ereaders), but without the tradeoffs that come with using only paper. This same progression has occurred with writing. Stylus pens promise the experience of writing on paper, without having to worry about ink, erasers, and every other inconvenience.
The biggest concern from critiques of digital approaches is the loss of the experience of engaging with analog processes. The aesthetic argument is that reading isn’t just about processing information, it’s as much about connecting to the work in a tactile way — of feeling the pages between the fingers with every turn — of feeling the weight of the book. The bigger the book, the bigger the brain. On and on these arguments go, in the same direction that vinyl is often revered to music fans. Despite the tendency towards pretension, there is in fact merit to valuing such an experience. This experience is what I call “Deep Reading”.
The Deep
Deep Reading
The experience of putting eyes to paper (and yes, sometimes an ereader) and processing words by oneself. Deep reading is in many ways a meditative experience, allowing for greater development of empathy by having to work in order to imagine the experiences described. This is especially the case when engaging in first-person narratives.
In one fascinating study, conducted at Washington University's Dynamic Cognition Laboratory and published in the journal Psychological Science in 2009, researchers used brain scans to examine what happens inside people's heads as they read fiction. They found that 'readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative. Details about actions and sensation are captured from the text and integrated with personal knowledge from past experiences.' The brain regions that are activated often 'mirror those involved when people perform, imagine, or observe similar real-world activities.' Deep reading, says the study's lead researcher, Nicole Speer, 'is by no means a passive exercise.' The reader becomes the book. - thoughtco.com, Get Smarter Through ‘Deep’ Reading
Deep Writing
Deep writing requires the use of handwriting. It's as simple as putting pen to paper to write words. Note-taking, journaling, writing on a bathroom stall, are all forms of deep writing. Output in this form is almost secondary, with the experience of writing being at the forefront.
Handwriting forces economy of expression. Since it has more friction, it encourages saying more with less. This can help to better process ideas, because if it isn't worthy, it shouldn’t be written. Jonathan Lambert of NPR points out other notable benefits:
In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.
The downside is that this can also create paralysis, bottlenecking certain flows of thought worth expressing. Another downside is the creation of silos between ideas. If I'm writing exclusively digitally in one place, I don't have to worry as much about any of my ideas falling through the cracks, in some random notebook I’ve forgotten about years down the road. A way of mitigating this is to ensure a disciplined habit of transcription is in place for any written notes. This requires that written notes only go in one location for the sake of simplicity.
One of the most popular forms of deep writing, journaling, also has its downside. This has everything to do with the fact that it's too easy to write about the same topic over and over again, without a clear path towards comprehension due to its breadth. This is especially the case without specific goals in mind.
Despite this risk, it's worth doing generalized journaling and other forms of deep writing for developing self-awareness. I regret the times I've stopped journaling because I got tired of revisiting the same lines of thinking over and over again. I now realize that the very frustration was an indication that I hit a wall, with whatever issue was on my mind. The issue wasn't writing it down, the issue was I failed to see the tired issue as an obstacle to be overcome. I attribute this to coming from personal wreckage driven by having poor expectations. Not every obstacle requires explosives to get out of it. It's a great trap to think that something as therapeutic as journaling is ever an obstacle. I was the obstacle to myself. Now, if I find myself ruminating in my journaling for whatever reason, I know it's due to failure to address a blatant issue.
An effective system of writing ensures that such degrees of insight are obtainable, and deep writing is a better bet for such personal reflection.
The Power
Power Reading
Power Reading is reading done with advanced tooling, such as a newsfeed in an app. Reading in this manner is largely extractive in nature. Parsing through content quickly is the default, with an emphasis on getting the most important details. Recently, LMs have only increased the momentum of this approach. Tools such as Readwise Reader and the now defunct Artifact are examples of effective implementation of such functionality. Readwise Reader has a function called “Ghostreader”. With this tool, it’s possible to quickly summarize saved articles with a brief paragraph. In practice, this feature can often save time, especially for articles that are padded with superfluous information. If the content has just enough interest after reading the summary, it can be just the right prompt to dive into the article. The opposite is also the case. The risk with this is that some articles are easy to miss due to summarization. Power Reading should never be the mode used when attempting to read for the sake of reading. It’s most useful for reading news, which is typically noisy in nature compared to deeper reads like novels and long essays.
This category is also broader than text and even includes using audiobooks.
Audiobook listening is reading
A controversial take is whether audiobook listening is reading. As an experience, the closet thing it relates to if having a book read for you by another person, a common experience as a kid. This is also an experience that is of necessity depending on a person's disabilities. When reading, I think the words as they sound. Instead of reading it out loud, I simply keep it to myself. I can't speak for anyone else's experience of reading. As a form of power reading, audiobook and Text-to-Speech (TTS) options facilitate being able to read more. An audiobook with an awesome narrator can often times heighten the experience without taking anything away. Jefferson Mays as the narrator for the Expanse novels is a great example of this. He's able to do justice to both the male and female characters. He also makes a great attempt at accents that feel unique to the characters.
I'll never agree that audiobooks can replace the experience of deep reading by putting eyes to paper and/or screen. There is a certain part of the reading experience that is unique to processing the words and evoking images, thoughts, and sensations on a personal level. I even consider this to be superior to the audiobook listening. It's important to keep deep reading at a minimum if possible, but it doesn't have to be the only means in which to engage with a work.
Power Writing
Writing done digitally. The primary purpose of power writing is to produce as much content as possible through writing. In content heavy spaces, this is an absolute asset in order to create the needed momentum for engagement. The downside to this, is that quality comes second to such writing. This can be compensated for over time. Another risk is that it leaves a door open to many more "hot takes" on average. These hot takes will absolutely be an issue overtime if the poster has a lack of adaptability and lacks a moral compass, because:
The methods are typically blogging, short form posts, and digital note keeping.
There's little friction in jotting down ideas when using a keyboard or touchpad. This is great for a rapid onslaught of ideas that move faster than the pen. This also creates a greater risk of Word Vomit.
Word Vomit is the result of excessive, unfiltered thinking. It's often done with typing, especially when the ability to touch type is present. It's great to rapidly note an idea before fading, but it reduces the likelihood of presenting it in a manner that is clear and compelling. Excessive use of digital writing techniques can often times exacerbate this issue. The best way to offset this is with writing ability. The more developed the writing ability, the less risky digital tooling becomes.
By starting with typing, editor mode is activated right away. This means that despite the greater velocity of input, there is also more of a tendency to prematurely focus on spelling, grammar, and choice of topic. If I know that I can quickly edit what I'm about to say, it provides a false sense of comfort.
Embracing the distinctions
I've considered many ways of tightly combining deep and power approaches with options such as Hybrid Zettelkasten, a combination of both digital and physical Zettelkasten. In an earlier post, I go into detail about what Zettelkasten is and my relationship to it:
In the digital context, I consider it power writing. In the physical, deep writing. To do Hybrid Zettelkasten means to combine the benefits of both, while reducing the losses of sticking exclusively to one style.
Not all writing needs to be extractive. Previously I considered using an Antinet Zettelkasten, instead of generalized journaling, as another way to stay ahead of rumination. Under greater consideration and with the results I've been getting, I can't stand the idea of introducing unneeded friction in my system. There are other ways of embracing deep writing as a whole without spinning two massive plates at once.
Despite all the plates I spin, managing these methods are just an excuse to do more reading and writing. I love every bit of it. By having awareness of the pros and cons of each approach, I can ensure I’m truly getting the most of my reading and writing experiences.