Selective speed reader

(written on 30 July 2007)

I was able to finish 2 Erma Bombeck books over the past 4 days. My dear friend exclaimed that I am a speed reader. I explained that I read fast when I am reading something that interests me. I don’t expect to finish a 10 chapter novel on a cowboy’s life or a 2 page essay on how stock markets work. It doesn’t interest me. Rowling is a great writer. That’s what her many readers say. She’s already a millionaire and I think that is proof enough. I haven’t read any of her books or Lord of the Rings or Stephen King’s books. They don’t interest me. Classics like Shakespeare’s novels or even some of the famous children’s literary like Charlotte’s Web. Haven’t read them. I have said before that I am amazed on how some people I know and don’t know write so eloquently. And I believe their selection of reading material has greatly contributed to their style of writing. Pardon me…their great style of writing. But I honestly don’t want to force myself to read their selection of books because I want to write well. I want to read what interests me. And what interests me are works of people like Erma Bombeck and Robert Fulghum. What they write is what is true and real. Their stories don’t have wizards with magic spells but they have parents armed with skills in raising kids. Their stories have kids talking tomatoes not tomatoes talking to kids. I relate to their stories. Stories of childhood, maturity, hope, sadness, love. All these told without any pretense. The story as it is with a bonus of finding humor in it. For me, there is no better story to write about than what life is really about. I am so sure a lot of us have a couple of stories that we would want to share to the rest of the world to learn from or be inspired with. I know I have quite a few.

I could imagine that when Erma after reading one of her first few articles to her husband Bill, Bill exclaimed “You’re really a speed writer.” Nope, she just writes fast when what she’s writing interests her.