Examine the larger context - Deepstash
The Philosophy Of Alan Watts

Learn more about writing with this collection

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The Philosophy Of Alan Watts

Discover 61 similar ideas in

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Examine the larger context

Examine the larger context

  • There’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature
  • There’s a universal grammar of figurative imagery across literature
  • The intended audience and purpose of the text can factor into your interpretation

54

93 reads

MORE IDEAS ON THIS

Articulate your opinions — and use evidence

Articulate your opinions — and use evidence

Write a  1 sentence summary of what the book was about and what I liked and didn’t like on a broad scale.

Then I’d spend a few sentences rating each metric: writing style, plot, characters, originality, intellectual value, and my personal enjoyment.

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166 reads

ZADIE SMITH

Readers fail when they allow themselves to believe the old mantra that fiction is the thing you relate to and writers the amenable people you seek out when you want to have your own version of the world confirmed and reinforced. That is certainly one of the many things...

ZADIE SMITH

55

164 reads

Create something inspired by what you read

Create something inspired by what you read

It is possible to kill your enjoyment of storytelling if you go headlong into every book with a surgical knife. That’s why I find it’s best to read most books casually and just experience the story.

  1. Watch YouTube book reviews or interviews with the author.
  2. Create artwork inspir...

56

98 reads

Reread

Reread

Rereading lets you get past your initial reactions to analyze why the story works or doesn’t work

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109 reads

Target specific writing skills you want to improve

Target specific writing skills you want to improve

Narrow your focus to one of those elements. Smmarize each chapter to one sentence. In the end, reread your summary.

  1. What is the purpose of each scene?
  2. What character choices were most important/memorable?
  3. How did the focus of the story transform over time, and what were...

56

74 reads

Ask meaningful questions

Ask meaningful questions

  1. What are my favorite lines, and how do they make me feel?
  2. How does the author set the stage with her opening line?
  3. Since the author says the moon is her mother, what does the tone suggest about their relationship?
  4. What metaphor might I use to describe the same thing t...

60

161 reads

Annotate or keep a reading log

Annotate or keep a reading log

The point is to capture what makes the text emotionally relevant to you

Whenever you open a new book, that experience doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You bring with it all of the stories you’ve consumed before, your own philosophy of the world, and your knowledge base or assumptions.

If yo...

55

98 reads

Overview: Read like a Writer

Overview: Read like a Writer

  1. Ask meaningful questions
  2. Articulate your opinions — and use evidence
  3. Annotate or keep a reading log
  4. Create something inspired by what you read
  5. Target specific writing skills you want to improve
  6. Examine the larger context
  7. Reread

59

366 reads

Articulate your Opinions - Examples

Articulate your Opinions - Examples

  1. Writing style- “concise” or “wordy.”
  2. Plot- slow versus fast paced, boring versus riveting.
  3. Characters- How attached am I to them, if they felt 3D, real, dynamic. Or, if the author intended for them to be caricatures, how it effected my reading experience.
  4. Originality ...

58

116 reads

CURATED FROM

CURATED BY

growthaprentice

she/her | Cybersecurity Professional | Writer | Sharing what I learn to help others :)

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Many critics go beyond telling you which books to read and which movies to watch.

They build analysis, interpretation and discussion that goes well beyond the original work.

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Consider the context

When practising critical reading, it is crucial to be aware of the context of the text.

Before reading a text, ask :

  • What do you want to gain from reading this topic?
  • What are your existing beliefs?
  • What do you think you know ...

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