Practical Guide On Reading For The Epicly Phone Addict Doom-scroller
E2-'The Long-Term Game': Curated Readings To Help You Set Your Legacy
Welcome to the Fiction Emailer: A newsletter on Writing, Thinking, Reading for Founders, Entrepreneurs & Professionals. Find long-form essays and interviews that will help you imagine an optimistic FUTURE and leave a solid LEGACY behind. Join My WhatsApp Channel to get curated readings.
Rayaan Writer’s Note: Welcome back to ‘The Long-Term Game’, a series on curated readings to help you set your legacy. You can read the first edition here: ‘Ten Ultimate Essays About Career’.
Today, I want to explore how we can get better in reading. The essays first sets the cultural context of reading, forces driving away our attention, and key habits adopted by focused readers.
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Essay 1: ‘Top 10 Survival Tips for Youth in the era of pointless Doomscrolling. ...and for those who still identify as youth’ by Anurag Minus Verma for ‘The Cultural Cafe’. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
I am ashamed to confess I’m a phone slave. My reading fell off a cliff post-COVID days, owing to my nature of work as a journalist. I fight everyday to peel my eyes off the screen from a trillion reels on writer’s life (how ironic!) and crawl to read as much as I can. Anurag, in this essay, addresses about doom-scrolling and why it is a dangerous addiction.
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Doomscrolling Is the New Smoking Habit: As a former doomscroller, I can say this with certainty: doomscrolling is the new smoking. You know it’s bad for you, you don’t even enjoy it after a point, and yet you can’t stop. Unlike smoking, which has years of research and government-funded warnings behind it, doomscrolling hasn’t been recognised as a serious addiction. That’s part of the problem: no urgency, no public concern. Just endless suffering disguised as entertainment.
Essay 2: ‘Why don’t Indians read for pleasure? Examining the different aspect of book culture in India’ by Anurag Minus Verma for ‘The Cultural Cafe’. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
Once we know our digital turf, it’s better to zoom-out and know the offline culture, the systems that define our online rules. This leads me to this piece by The Guardian — ‘Music, Bollywood stars and a party vibe: why India’s literature festivals are about so much more than books’. My first reaction was defensive: ‘This is a strange take’.
My defense was memory rejig of the scenes unfolding every year at the Chennai Book Fair in January. Tens of thousands turn up to buy loads of fresh books. As a Chennai-boy at heart, I’m proud of this turn up and book love affair thronged by the residents.
The reaction to the Guardian piece was much harsher on LinkedIn. Indian publishers ranted that it was over-generalisation or a white-person’s lens of our reading culture. Funnily, the piece went on to have different headlines.
LiveMint newspaper later covered India’s reading culture with an optimistic lens. Personally, I loved Anurag’s essay as his argument stated that it is difficult to simplify our nation’s reading habits owing to its size and other core factors such as Caste.
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For a large part of India, reading has never been detached from purpose. It is tied to utility. It is tied to survival. In a country obsessed with competitive exams, reading must promise a return on investment. The book must lead somewhere. It must produce a rank, a job, a transfer from a small town to a government office where you sit on the chair which for no reason has a white towel.
For millions, books are bridges between their present life and a more stable one. The pleasure of reading is replaced by the necessity of reading. A novel may expand the mind, but an exam guide expands opportunity. That mentality shapes a certain kind of reading culture. And yes this produces a particular reading habit. Anxious, goal driven, instrumental. Far removed from the image of leisure reading by the sea. The Indian reader is more likely to be reading at a plastic table under a tube light, with a ticking clock and a family expectation hovering nearby. Context changes the meaning of reading.
The idea of reading culture is complex, and the real conversation around it should not be defensive. Perhaps it should be practical. How do we make reading less intimidating? How do we remove the snobbery that surrounds certain classes of readers and self appointed taste makers who call themselves cultural writers, yet rarely look beyond their own class comfort? How do we build strong distribution networks beyond English speaking cities? How do we price books so that buying one does not feel like a luxury?
What India reads, and what we call reading culture, cannot be brushed under a single umbrella. None of this means that India does not read. It means India reads differently. Any serious analysis must pass through the lens of caste and class. Indians do read for pleasure, but they also read anxiously, strategically, and sometimes secretly. They read in languages that rarely enter metropolitan surveys. They read on cheap paper and cracked phone screens, often because income does not allow even the small pleasure of changing a new tempered glass.
Essay 3: ‘Why You Should Read Classics. Part 1 of a new series exploring how to read, enjoy, and understand classics in the modern age’ by Esther for The Classics List. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
AI slop is slapping our face with stupid. My LinkedIn feed is flooded with synthetically crafted artificial shitty word-fest written by thought-leaders. I cringe digesting this as I’m force feed their yap.
We need to slap back. That’s why reading classics could help. I wonder How did Old writers like Shakespeare write his tales? Classics are indeed a huge mountain of a task to read and require a lot of patience. But it is still doable. This piece tells you how.
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recent studies show that reading for pleasure has declined significantly over the past two decades, particularly among younger generations. There are many possible reasons for this, but one of the most obvious is the rise of digital media. Much of our leisure time is now spent scrolling, streaming, and consuming short-form content, all of which compete for our attention and gradually train us to expect constant stimulation.
At the same time, many schools have moved away from assigning full novels and instead rely on excerpts or summaries. Ironically, access to books has never been easier. Today, we can borrow books from public libraries, download e-books instantly, listen to audiobooks while commuting, subscribe to Kindle services, or order physical books to our doorstep within days. The problem is not access. The problem is attention.
Whenever people hear the word “classic,” they often assume the books will be difficult, slow, or impossible to relate to. And to be fair, sometimes they are.
But modern literature can be difficult too. The difference is that classics have a reputation for being intimidating before we even open them. In reality, classics vary enormously. Some are challenging, while others are surprisingly accessible and deeply entertaining.
When you read a great classic, you often realize that someone who lived centuries ago understood emotions and experiences that still exist today. There is something comforting about that. It reminds us that we are not the first people to feel lost, uncertain, hopeful, or afraid.
Reading classics also gives us historical and cultural perspective. A single novel can teach us about the social structures, political tensions, expectations, and values of another era in a way that feels alive rather than academic.
Reading classics often feels like discovering the foundation beneath contemporary culture.
One of the biggest reasons I believe classics matter today is because they force us to slow down… they ask us to sit still, to focus and to be patient. And while that can feel uncomfortable at first, it is also what makes reading them so rewarding.
They expand your vocabulary, strengthen your concentration, and expose you to different writing styles and ways of thinking.
Essay 4: ‘How To Read Classics. A practical guide for readers who want to start exploring classic books’
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Classics are also far more accessible than many people realise. Since many of them are now in the public domain, they can be downloaded for free through resources such as Project Gutenberg. They are readily available in public libraries, second-hand bookshops, flea markets, and charity shops, often for very little money. In many ways, classics are among the most affordable books you can read.
Start with your interests: The most important factor is genuine curiosity.
Give yourself time: Like any worthwhile book, classics require time and attention. That does not mean you need hours of uninterrupted reading every day. It might mean reading during your morning commute, over breakfast, or before bed. What matters is creating a small, sustainable reading habit.
Choose the right starting level: If you are completely new to classics, you do not need to begin with The Odyssey or The Iliad. Shorter novels and novellas can be excellent entry points… Stories such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, or A Christmas Carol…
Pay attention to the edition: …classics often exist in multiple editions. Editors and publishers frequently modernise spelling, update punctuation, and provide explanatory notes that make older texts easier to understand. As a result, your reading experience can vary significantly…
Translation matters: If you are reading a classic originally written in another language, the translation can have a huge impact on your experience… One translation may feel elegant and modern, while another may feel more formal or faithful to the original text… A translation that works perfectly for one reader may not work for another. If a book is not connecting with you, do not immediately assume the story is the problem…
Consider the publisher: …Many publishers provide valuable supplementary material such as introductions, footnotes, character lists, maps, timelines, and family trees. …Personally, I am a big fan of the black Penguin Classics paperbacks…
Read with others
Essay 5: ‘How to Read for Longer Periods of Time. Stop getting distracted and start getting lost in books’ by Chloe for The Reading List. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
I have good reading days and bad reading days. I have tried app blockers. I have tried keeping my phone in the other room. I have tried reading different books in a spree, but what really matters is enjoying the process while at the same time also being aware that I am trying to read as much as I can. I stick to a routine, and moreover I focus on consistently reading instead of doom scrolling, and whenever the former happens, I often consider that day a victory. This essay gave me some obvious yet good pointers on things to consider to develop a focused reading habit.
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1. Choose the Right Book: This sounds obvious but if you’re trying to build up your reading stamina, the last thing you want is a book that feels like homework… If a long book feels intimidating, read a short one. If committing to a series feels like too much, start with a standalone. There are no rules here.
2. Build a Reading Routine: Remember, you are training yourself, and, like any form of training, showing up consistently matters far more than occasionally having a perfect session. You have to use the muscle if you want it to get stronger. The best way to do that is to attach reading to a specific time of day rather than fitting it in whenever you can, because “whenever you can” has a way of never quite happening.
3. Start Small and Build Up: …My suggestion would be to start with two 10 minute sessions a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. That’s it.
4. Use Background Noise: Complete silence might seem like the obvious environment for reading but in my experience it can actually work against you… Brown noise specifically is worth trying too, it’s thought to have a calming effect on the nervous system while also masking sudden changes in sound that would otherwise pull your attention away… I personally find music too distracting, especially anything with lyrics, as it competes with the words on the page in a way that ambience sounds don’t.
…be patient with yourself. You are quite literally training your brain, and that takes time. There will be sessions where it feels hard and days where you don’t show up at all, and that’s okay. What matters is that you come back. Every time you push through and choose your book over your phone it gets a little bit easier, your stamina grows a little bit stronger, and reading starts to feel a little more like the pleasure it’s supposed to be.
Essay 6: ‘10 Tactics to Become a Better Nonfiction Reader. Nope, this post isn’t about how to read more. It’s about how to read deeply’ by Bobby Powers and Glasp. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why:
I really love reading non-fiction, because I get to hold in my hand an idea or a lesson written by a person on paper. I get to taste these words as it does feel like eating a cake, slicing each piece and feeding it to my brain. In all the books at my home, you will find scribbles on the pages, or shades of pink, yellow, and green highlighters here and there. The edges are worn out, and the spine has cracks. My book appears to be torn aside as if thrown into a battlefield. All these act feels cathartic, which is one of the million reasons why you too should be reading more non-fiction.
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Read with a pen in your hand. I used to treat my books no differently than a library book… I heard that many of the top readers throughout history took copious margin notes
Use the book’s back cover to create a one-page cheat sheet. I’ve also been writing notes in the back cover. I jot down my top takeaways, along with their respective page numbers... This creates a powerful one-page cheat sheet I can reference later whenever I want to refresh my memory about that book
Argue with the author. When you find yourself disagreeing with an author’s point, jot a note in the margins.
Choose at least one idea to put into practice immediately.
Don’t read while lying down
Physical books > e-Books. a 2024 article in Psychology Today cites research that indicates reading comprehension is 6-8 times better when reading physical books compared to e-books. If you’re hoping to remember what you read, trust paper.
Summarize what you’re reading
Save quotes and stories in a commonplace book.
Experiment with new genres
Essay 7: ‘How I Learned to Read Way, Way More. I had to rethink my relationship to attention’ by John Paul Brammer. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
This is an essay that keeps curiosity as a main framework, a lightning bolt to lead you as a compass to read more and more. John shares how reading gave his life more meaning with hope and pleasure. He got to learn what it meant to be more human by exploring pages of different worlds and knowledge by tapping the corners of his brain with a hammer of curiosity.
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Curiosity is a child. It’s greedy and unpredictable and has two modes. It’s either in frantic activity, or it’s dead asleep. When it wants something, when it truly wants something, it’s nearly impossible to keep its hands away.
a minute in pure attention, while facing the right way, is worth more than years facing the wrong one.
Curiosity stays childlike, always; childlike, even as everything else matures and grays and turns cynical. Curiosity is easy to distract and, because it’s indiscriminate, easy to exploit. It pursues zealously, tuckers out quickly. Its desires are pure; good and evil don’t figure in. It’s up to the parent to guide the child here. My return to reading was a collaboration between play and discipline, child and parent. Curiosity supplies the energy. Curiosity is attention’s white-hot spearpoint. I am its guide. I take aim.
I’m led by my curiosity. I buy new books constantly. I shelve them in different slots to keep every shelf alive. I read without expecting this to be the book that changes my life or becomes my favorite. I read out of strict obedience to curiosity, the desire to know what these words in this sequence might hold. I had to make it fun at first. This was messy. I sipped from this book, then that one. It wasn’t formal or rigorous. I read whenever I felt like it.
Essay 8: ‘The Claims of Close Reading. Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical’ by Johanna Winant. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
In the book, ‘Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century’ by Dan Sinykin and Johanna Winant, the authors ask, “What is close reading?”. They respond, “Close reading is the practice of paying attention to a passage of text to account for at least one aspect of its meaning and to make an argument about how it works.”
My first experience of close reading was during the Critical Writing course in Ashoka University, where my friends and I would read a passage and discuss what the author meant. It was a unique learning experience to see how others analyze a same text.
In this essay, the author speaks about her experience of teaching close reading to her students, how it made a difference in their lives and how they carried the practice even after they left the classroom.
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Close reading grounds and extends an argument, reasoning from what we all know to be the case to what the close reader claims is the case. You are the world expert in your idea, I would say. My students offered arguments, but they also showed me what making an argument offered them. One, who went onto be a nurse, told me that she writes notes for doctors the way we made arguments in class—interpreting and connecting symptoms, then making a claim with stakes—and they always do what she says. Another student told me that she filed a police report about an assault by writing her account as an argument, moving from noticing to claiming, so she would be understood and believed.
Essay 9: ‘Myth, monsters and making sense of a disenchanted world: why everyone is reading fantasy’ by XX for The Guardian. Read Here.
Rayaan Writer’s Why
My brothers and I grew up in a single-parent household, and we struggled financially. But our mother never stopped us from reading books, as it was the best escape from reality and the fears of living from paycheck to paycheck. Fantasy offered me a world without rules and it gave me hope as I saw from the stories of Narnia, to Harry Potter, to Lord of the Rings, that good times eventually land on the doorstep of the hero.
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I read and write fantasy because it’s the literature that sees the recurrent unearthliness in human experience. That knows we’re hopelessly metaphorical creatures, who find meaning by tying together patterns of resemblance that might as well be spells. That knows there are some struggles where the stakes really are overwhelming, and good and evil in something like their pure forms really do pivot on human choices. Fantasy understands that to undertake the risks of love is to venture beyond safety, into landscapes strange to you, on perilous and wonderful journeys.
Further Resources:
Curated Essays on Reading by The Electric Typewriter. Go Here.
And that’s all for today!
Did you like reading this edition? Should I do better? Please don’t hesitate to offer me your feedback. I am open to ideas and suggestions.
Feel free to reach me at rayaanjournalist@gmail.com or you can simply reply to this email or comment below. See you soon! 😊❤️