So, you’ve been
out of school for a little while now. That’s time enough to get a feeling for how
the rest of your summer might go. But forget about reading this summer? Maybe I
can help change your mind.
Guys, your
friends will probably say something like, “Hey, why don’t you hang out at my
house all day? We can play that awesome new video game I told you about till
our thumbs fall off.” And girls, your friends might invite you to go shopping,
to the beach, or just to spend the day together. There’s nothing wrong with
doing any of these things, but I’d like to encourage you to consider one other
activity this summer.
Did you know
that reading causes certain connections in your brain that don’t happen any
other way? It’s true. When you read, your imagination kicks into high gear. In
your mind, you can hear the sounds, smell the smells, and feel the heat of the
desert or cold of winter. You can taste, or even feel and see pictures of
places without ever leaving your reading couch or chair.
I come to
writing books from a lifetime of film and video production. I know, first hand,
how the right emotional triggers are used in order to achieve results the
filmmakers are after. When writing, I play music that fits the scene. This
provides a picture in my head. If a book deals with the heat of summer, I like
to write during summer months. When I can’t do that, I’ve been known to crank
the heat up in my house to reach the proper conditions. Winter stories are
handled the same way. You’d be amazed at the feelings that come when a
thermostat is turned off while it’s freezing outside. Sometimes, it’s nearly
impossible to get my fingers to move across the keyboard.
Here are some
examples from a couple of my books to show how your mind sets the stage, during
reading.
From Terror At Wolf Lake
A light snow started
falling. Heavy wind blew it across the road. Before long, small drifts began
forming. The light snow turned heavier and the wind blew even harder, making it
nearly impossible to see the road anymore. Hidden beneath the blowing snow were
larger drifts in the roadway.
Without
warning, Eddy’s father hit one, turning the truck sideways. He fought hard to
regain control but the truck left the road and careened into the median.
“I
don’t want to get stuck in here,” he said as he pushed the gas pedal to the
floor. Even though the engine was at full power, their big lumbering SUV seemed
to move in slow motion. As they continued through the center strip between the
divided highways their front end acted like a snow blower. Powdered snow flew
up over the front of the truck, completely covering the windshield. Finally
they felt the truck level off again.
“Don’t
ask me how, but I think we’re back on the road,” Eddy’s father shouted.
Everyone else cheered and whistled. But when he turned on his windshield wipers
their excitement turned to terror.
“Dad!
Do something!” Eddy screamed.
Heading
straight toward them was a giant eighteen-wheeler with its brights on. The
trucker blew his horn and locked the brakes. Eddy’s father hit the gas and that
diesel-belching monster only missed them by a paint job.
From When
The Lights Go Out
“Now?” Gill asked.
“Yes, now!” Peyton
yelled back.
Gill leaned forward,
took a firm grip on the rope with both hands, and prepared to pull it with all
of his might. But when he pulled, the rope stopped about halfway out. When that
happened, it flew out of Gill’s hands. And, because he had pulled so hard, his
body kept right on going in the direction of the pull. The next thing he knew,
he was lying flat on his back, looking up at the stars.
“Hurry,” Peyton cried
out. “They’re almost here!”
Gill turned himself
over and crawled back to the generator. Again, he reached out for the rope,
took a firm grip, and pulled. This time, the rope did its job, but the
generator didn’t start.
“What’s wrong?” Dave
asked.
“It didn’t start,
that’s what’s wrong.”
Peyton aimed his light
at the generator. “Try it again.”
Gill pulled and
pulled. “I’m tryin’,” he said.
“Well try harder!”
Again and again, Gill
pulled on that rope, but it was no use. That’s when Peyton dropped to the
ground and crawled over. He shined his light into the area where he’d found the
loose wire before, tightened it, and then noticed that the fuel valve wasn’t
turned on, and the switch wasn’t turned to “run.” He fixed both of those, then
nearly growled, “Pull it one more time.”
Gill grabbed the
rope, but before he gave it a pull this time, the boys heard the sound of that
truck as it was about to hit the back gate without even slowing down.
“Umph!” Gill grunted.
He pulled the rope, and the generator roared to life. Peyton quickly plugged in
the electrical cords, and all six of the lights that the boys had set up
earlier, came on and shined directly at the back gate.
The boys watched as
the driver hit the brakes and locked up every wheel on that truck and trailer. It
went into a slide, on the pavement, as blue smoke billowed up from underneath.
Then, just before crashing through the gate, the driver put the truck in gear,
turned the wheel all the way to the left, and hit the accelerator.
“They’re getting
away!” Dave cried out.
Did you notice
how, with simply words on a page, you were able to experience what was
happening, in your head? That’s what I’m talking about. No one had to tell you
how to feel or what to think about what you read. If you play video games all
summer, go shopping till you drop, watch movies, or mess around on your
electronic devices, someone else is providing the sights and sounds they want
you to experience, and you can leave your imagination parked in the garage of
your head.
Students learn
4,000 to 12,000 new words each year from reading.
Our eyes become
more like ears when we read, as we “see” what’s happening.
98% of reading
is actually listening. Only 2% of reading – words on a page - is visual.
Reading is an
active mental process, unlike TV. You actually have to think when you read, and
that makes the reader smarter.
Reading improves
memory.
I’ll leave you
with one more thought. If you want to be a great athlete, musician, or do your
best at anything, you have to practice. If you don’t take the time to practice,
others will be better than you in these areas. Reading is practice for a
successful time in school and later in life.
So, which would
you rather be, a leader or a follower? The choice is up to you, and you can
decide which it’s going to be by reading this summer.
Amazon Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Elliot-Anderson/e/B002BLP3EE
Author Video
http://youtu.be/48nLqzNFBWg
My Youtube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch
Author Web Site
http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html
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2 comments:
Great post, Max. The right story will capture the imagination of even the most restless kids.
Thank you Curtis.
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