Many people enjoy reading as a way to relax and enrich their minds.People believe good readers are those who can read anything that comes their way, can read fast, read much and read well, or have a set of preferences developed over a period of time with reading experiences. But they often miss out on one of the most important assets that goes into being a good reader: creative reading.Creative reading isn't necessarily and only the flair to read between the lines and understand author's inherent intentions, suggestions or embedded allusions. It is the quality to be able to discern the genre and reading strategy of the book, to know if and when the author's intrusion is necessary to enjoy the book to its utmost, to be able to classify the books and authors according to varied parameters and know the time their reading will be best suited.Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practices, development, and refinement.On the other side,writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols.Writing is an art as well as a science. Writing is an art since it has various styles to it and it is a science as you would use different techniques to write it.Good writing however has much more to it than just the common techniques used. It depends on who your target audience is and whether you know your audience well.The parameters for a good writer depend on the audience who is going to read it.
If I were to evaluate myself if I am a good reader and a good writer,I would say "YES" to reading and a slight "NO" to writing.I can say that I am doing good in reading not just because I can read between the lines and I have a very fine diction.But,it is because whenever I read I use to create motivation on myself,by having a perception in mind that reading will add more knowledge to me and will exercise my mind.I also use make a preview of the whole text beacuse it enables me to be prepared to read the text.I also make some anticipation and prediction after I make the preview.Whenever I read,I read silently rather than using my lips because it enables me to create thoughts and ideas about the text that I am reading.I also pay attention on important details.After reading the first time,I read again so that I can have a better understanding of the text.And whenever I'm done reading,I use to get the main idea first and get the message of the text.After that,I think critically.I use to evaluate if the text is true.I use to weigh the ideas in light of the purpose and audience and compare or contrast it with those that I have learned from the previous writings that I have read before agreeing or disagreeing to it.Lastly,I use to make a summary of the text.It enables me to review the main points and retain information better.Actually,summarizing helps improve my writings also.
On the other side,I can say that I am not a good writer at the moment because sometimes I fail to emphasize and make a brief discussion on the central idea.I use to go around the bush.My ideas are fine,however,I fail to organize them well and at the end my writing seems to be hanging or is lacking of some information that will really make other people agree,believe or get persuaded with my writings.
Behind my strength in reading and weakness in writing,I still believe that there is still room for improvement.I believe that good or critical reading is good writing.I will practice the strategies for good reading and writing so that I can be good at both aspects.And therefore,I can be an excellent reader and writer that I wanna be.
