I would like to know what it is that people experience as they read.

I will list what I experience and that should explain what I would like you to write.

Essentially when in get into a book my senses become ignored, I cannot hear and usual noises. I can be roused by sounds (louder than usual) directed toward me. I also tend to ignore the fact that I am reading and take an active roll as a characher. I, essentially, have a vitual reality with in my mind which contains anything the text describes. I can virtually see the thing described. I also pronounce all the words that I read with in this sub really. I think this is called subvocalization. I do not physically pronounce them. So far I think, I am not sure, I was able to read with out reading the words. I looked at them and understood them. I am also left handed, as far as I know this directly affects how you read.

I ask this because I am trying to learn how to read faster. I am only 16 years old and would like to benifit from being able to read fast. I would like to know mainly what fast readers experience as they read. I would also like to know how they got to being able to read that fast.

Sincerely
~John

I read quite fast and don't really have time to vocalize. I don't recall what speed I was reading at my best, but I'd say now I read at 200-300 words per minute for fiction. Slower for technical stuff.

Take some Reading courses in high school or college. The courses don't really give you any real credit, but they'll be worth it in all your other classes. They use machines to help you read faster. Although, they've probably replaced those with computers now.

Subvocalization actually slows reading. Don't do it. It's hard. If you can find a program called EyeQ, try that. I had a friend triple his reading speed in a week using it. I already read at a pace I'm happy with, so I don't try to adjust it.

Yes I have found the program and have used for a while it helps but now my eyes hurt incredibly after using it for 9 days in a row. For some reason I cannot look at a word right now and not pronounce it to understand it. This is what I am trying to overcome. I read at least 300 words per minute. I would like to be able to read as fast as my brain will allow me to, or toward 1000wpm.

I think I'm a pretty fast reader, I don't know how fast I read, but I read faster than most people around me. However, I have noticed that I skip words(the, and, of, etc.) Now it may be the second or third time I read something when I do that, but it does happen. Honestly, I don't think it affects my reading at all, and I am able to fill in those words w/out actually reading them. Just a thought

You should already be reading at roughly 700 wpm if you are not subvocalizing. Did you follow the program exactly? I tried it for a few days, but decided it wasn't worth the headache, I slowly over a week or two went back to my original speed, but it did speed it up for a week or two. If I had kept at it, I'm sure it would have increased some(it can't increase a lot, I read pretty fast)...but I do know it works not only short term, but my friend STILL reads twice his old speed, if not triple. He did complain of headaches for a while, but that is eyestrain. He stopped for a few days and then went back to it.

I've found this about subvocalization. Is there anything that Wikipedia does not have? ^_^

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subvocalization

I also do that a lot, and I read really slow :\

I tend to do the same thing. Gee at least I'm not as krazy as I thought. I also find myself replacing words in a story or text that I find more applicable. It tends to help me read faster. I do think that skipping or scanning is the key to fast reading. It's very difficult to read every single word but you don't really have to in order to grasp the concept.

I would also say, since your only 16 it would help your homework get done faster but I would concentrate more on comprehension and retention before trying to be a speed reader.

KC

Being a fast reader does not mean at all that you lose something on comprehension. In fact it's just the opposite.
I am a very fast reader, and I tend to understand things much better when I skip and scan than when I stay longer
on sentences. The purpose of fast reading is to have less and less points of focus in each sentence first than in
each paragraph, to finish by each page.

People are fearful they would not 'understand' if they don't spend enough time on words but it does not work like
that. Your mind 'reconstructs' the missing information. Also, there are techniques to learn that show that there is
usually just one idea per paragraph. Once you've got it, why bother reading the same thing, explained differently ?

Fast reading improves your skills at understanding, not the opposite. I can read very fast in French, my native language,
but quite fast in English and Italian, too, which proves that your level of understanding increases with fast reading.
The only problem is that you have to find enough books to satisfy your thirst..

cheers

I read faster than anybody else my age when I was at school. I didn't read all that often, but I find that I don't really the text, I generally read over it and pick up whats going on from that. I can read a standard novel page in about 15 - 25 seconds.

i guess method of study is more important than methods or strategies of reading ....

sometimes thinking yourself as a compiler of all what you had read is a good "execise" ...

just a side thought ...

I don't consider it reading if you look at the words and don't understand them. (No comprehension) I consider haveing read something only If I understand it.

With this program you do not want to constantly keep at it you have to take a break in 6-10 days unless you wish to lose your eyes. Its too bad its windows only... well and mac... Shouldn't be too hard to remake the whole thing for linux not port it but remake it. Maybe an hour or two for an experienced programmer. Its just that copy write thing...

Edit: Wow the article on wiki-pedia... Something to think about...

i also skip words, there is no reason to read each and every word. if its fiction your reading for the story not the words, same applies to most nonfiction

I read fast, even if I'm reading aloud (man in elementary school those stupid kids that couldn't keep up with what i was saying, losers, they could just reread )

if you try reading slow, your comprehension will drop, it feels like your reading to just read the words

one time at school there was this girl that reads outloud, and the book was about a little girl getting raped(sorry if that happened to any of you). everyone around her was laughing, thats why you should not read aloud

Well any way I read the wiki pedia article to its full extent. The general Idea was against not subvocalizing, let me rephrase that it was for subvocalizung (theses double negatives) ant who I agree with the articles. This basicly makes the programs almost worthless. The strenthening your eyeys part is helpful, it helped me read a little faster maybe 1.2-1.3 time faster but not by the 2-10 times they promised. My comprehension drops severly if I read faster than 450 words a minute.

For those that don't want to read the article it basicly said that yes people can read at these super high speeds but they do not understand what they read. essentially they scan the pages getting nothing out of it.

The rest is my own thoughts: A simple method of proving this (mentioned above) is tell a person like this to read a book at their high speed read the book too then make lists about what was read without using the book. This will say who got more out of the book. Another more accurate method is have the people read a few pages and take small notes after reading every page, the speed reader will miss all the details.

The conclusion well think about it it's up to you!

I think ***Megaman X*** deserves a thanks that takes an entire post for his link to wiki pedia.

THANK YOU!