/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16019684]

>read a single page of any book
>get up and start pacing around my room daydreaming about literally anything for 10 minutes
>read another page
>pace around again

How the fuck do you people read several hundred pages a week?

[Anonymous No.16019696]

>>16019684
literally me. the image not the post. I don't read

[Anonymous No.16019699]

>>16019684
They don't. They just read Wikipedia articles and pretend they know everything about whatever author is in the thread.

[Anonymous No.16019711]

>>16019684
Literally me.
I am open about my hobbies so long as I am anonymous though: I read shitty webnovels, often of the smut variety. That's honestly all I do, everything else is just occasional diversity.

[Anonymous No.16019728]

The truth is, through building habit over time. I used to be exactly like this and still some days I'm just too restless to sit and read or study or work on hobbies. The trick is understanding that you aren't going to get up to hundreds of pages a week just through force of will. You need to ease into it, like working out. A little bit at a time and then slightly add more as you go. It will be a lot of easier to push yourself to read just a chapter this week than it is to expect to achieve insane reading quantities in one sitting immediately.

I also recommend keeping a schedule, like pick a time every day where you promise yourself you will sit down and at least put 30 minutes to an hour aside to read. Keep it consistent and just do as much as you can in whatever period of time that is. After a few weeks of keeping the habit it will be much easier to do.

[Anonymous No.16019765]

>>16019684
I have the same issue.
For example yesterday I read 5 pages of Le Bon and then spend the next two hours lying in bed daydreaming and not moving at all.
It really is a problem.

[Anonymous No.16019766]

>>16019711
Why? Do you really enjoy it or is it just habit at this point?

[Anonymous No.16019826]

>>16019766
You will call this bait but there's nothing I enjoy doing more than reading self-insert power fantasy webnovels about some chad guy conquering the universe and obtaining a harem in the process. Sometimes I will get lucky and find something of actual quality like pic related, at which point I will binge a 1000 pages in a day but I am fine just reading a dime a dozen chinkshit as well.

[Anonymous No.16019854]

>>16019684
My only hobby is browsing the internet. That literally is the bulk of what I do. If I'm not doing that, I'm fantasizing about having a better life.

[Anonymous No.16019973]

>>16019684

I just spent an hour reading Tolkien's The Return of the King. If it helps, walk and read simultaneously. I do that if I'm able to read during the day.

[Anonymous No.16020068]

>>16019854
what sites do you like to browse?

[Anonymous No.16020117]

>>16019684
i have a low-effort job where i can get away with reading so i do it all there and veg out at home

[Anonymous No.16022239]

>>16019684
It's funny how accurate this image is for me and others here. I wonder if it's the lowest form of existence, I hardly think hedonistic pleasure is the highest good, but I wonder if someone who doesn't just smoke weed and play video games all day have a life more worth living than that.

[Anonymous No.16022247]

>>16022239
but I wonder if someone who just smokes weed and plays video games all day*

[Anonymous No.16022265]

>>16019684
Based little guy

[Anonymous No.16022268]

>>16019684
You are a victim of a social-media induced ADD. Sadly pretty much everyone of every generation who uses the internet has this now. With the whole of human information at your fingertips you will never get bored, but unfortunately it means that you will never have to train your attention span. Most people on here don't really read anything anymore. They don't even pay attention to the audio books they listen to, cus they always have to multitask. That's not to say you can't ever multitask, but unfortunately 4chan, and other sites have ruined your brain. The only way to bypass this is stop using the internet as much as you do (limit yourself to 1 or 2 hours a day.

[Anonymous No.16022273]

>>16019684
What are some kinos for this feel?

[Anonymous No.16022345]

>>16019728
Based anon with good advice. I go down to my local beach around sunset everyday when the weather allows and read on a bench, whether I read 20 pages or 200 pages I feel accomplished and happy for having done so.

[Anonymous No.16022533]

Just leave 4chinz bro

[Anonymous No.16022642]

Read somewhere comfy like in bed, and you won't want to get up. Or read in a bath (but keep a tower nearby to dry your hands so you dont damage the book)

[Anonymous No.16022676]

>>16022265
is this real

[Anonymous No.16022703]

>>16022676
Wtf israel????

[Anonymous No.16022715]

>>16019684
lay off the Monster energy

[Anonymous No.16022717]

>>16019684
fuck you
I waste my money sometimes, t-that's not me

[Anonymous No.16022732]

>>16019684
Put the timer in 15 minutes,dont stop reading until it sound,it is for me,easier to read like this since i dont have to worry about anything and the only thing i have in the back of my mind is the alarm of the timer,then when it sounds if you feel like reading more repeat adding one minute in the timer everytime.
When i cant fucking focus in my book time to time i do this.

[Anonymous No.16022755]

>>16022732
thank's I'll try this

[Anonymous No.16022781]

>>16022268

Almost impossible for most. If it is debilitating I genuinely think people should consider medicating with stimulants just to build good habits. Be cautious, don't rely on them too heavily or else you will just get caught in a cycle of increasing the dose because you're chasing the high. You do them with breaks just to give you a boost towards your goal of getting your shit together, and then try to be as effective independent of the drugs as you can.

[Anonymous No.16022800]

>>16020068
Reddit

[Anonymous No.16022807]

>>16019684
Finish the first book and then if symptoms continue start and finish the second

[Anonymous No.16022815]

I became an avid reader like three months ago and I can't stop. I stopped watching tv and I don't spend much time on 4chan anymore.

Here's how I did it.

-Remember the average person reads like zero books a year. If you read 5 pages a day, you are 5 pages above the average person

-Don't force yourself to read. Commit to read 5 pages a day. I swear after three days you'll feel like reading more and after a month or so you should be reading 50-100 pages a day for pleasure

-Read various books at the same time. When I grab a difficult book or one that makes me sleepy I grab another and switch. This should refresh your head. Keep them thematically different. I read economics and fiction.

-It isn't a race. Reading slowly won't make you sleepy that fast. Try to acknowledge what books are for you to read fast and which aren't.

-Buy the physical copies. When you get the books from your own money you'll feel the need to read them to avoid the feel of wasting your money.

-Start with books highly discussed here so you feel motivated to discuss.

[Anonymous No.16022818]

>>16019684
Just read lmao, it's that easy. I've read 140 today so far.

[Anonymous No.16022877]

>>16022818
T.

[Anonymous No.16023059]

>>16019684
The thing that really worked for me was to read as soon as I woke up. No phone, no internet, etc. at all in the morning until you read for at least 10-15 minutes. Don't time yourself, just go until the urge to get online is fairly stronger than the urge to read. Eventually this will be easier and easier and will last for longer.
Also, if you have a tendency to page through chapters before reading to see how long they are - stop doing that. I used to do this and, even if a chapter or story was very interesting to me, would always just want it to reach the end regardless.
Just a month or so ago I could barely read a chapter a day, and after incorporating these two changes, I now read a short story or philosophical text a day (i.e, a Platonic dialogue) along with a longer fiction novel usually, and sometimes a bit of grammar/math. Just today I spent the first 6-8 hours of my day finishing up The Count of Monte Cristo, some Greek mythology, and I plan on starting Kafka's Metamorphosis a little later.

[Anonymous No.16023092]

>>16023059
This is solid advice lad, I also do the checking pages thing, why the fuck do I do that lad? Is it the ADHD?

[Anonymous No.16023178]

>>16023092
I'm not really sure, I think it might be a sort of problem with having to commit to reading. For example, if you check the pages in a certain chapter, then you know you're committing to having to read that amount of pages until you 'can stop'. It might be mitigated if you're one of the people who stops whenever and just bookmarks their spot, but I like to finish on the ends of chapters.
Also, don't beat yourself up if you don't read one day or another with the method I described. One day I'll wake up and read 400+ pages, while another day I won't read at all. If you're feeling good when you wake up, then read, but if not, it's alright to take a break like this.

[Anonymous No.16023233]

>>16019684
literally me. the image not the post. I read a book roughly every week and audiobook is good for the sloggish book.

[Anonymous No.16023239]

>>16019711
>I read shitty webnovels, often of the smut variety
what are they anon? sometimes i like the same thing.

[Anonymous No.16023671]

>>16022815
Based advice. Its all about building a habit, you’ll come to enjoy it with time

[Anonymous No.16024404]

love you

[Anonymous No.16024493]

>>16019684
>>16019696
>>16019711
>>16019765
>>16019854
>>16022239
>>16022273
>>16023233
It gets better. But it might have to get worse first. You still have time to own yourself out loud

[Anonymous No.16024507]

>>16022268
I don't really get this. I definitely have internet ADD shit where I waste my time looking at 4chan or whatever for hours instead of being productive, but whenever I actually decide to read anything I have no problem doing so for hours without break just like I've always been able to do.

[Anonymous No.16024530]

OFFICIAL GOOD BOOK LIST
READ GOOD BOOKS
ONLY READ OFFICIAL GOOD BOOK
LOOK AT WORDS MAKE YOU SMART
BE A GOOD BOY
BE AN OFFICIAL BOY
BE AN OFFICIAL GOOD BOY

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE?
FORGET THEM ALL
JUST ASK
"HOW DO I BE OFFICIAL GOOD BOY??"
I TELL YOU
READ GOOOOOOOD BOOOK
THIS PROGRAM WILL WASH YOUR BRAIN AND YOU WILL BE CLEAN
YOU WILL BE GOOD

READ GOOD BOOOK
READ GOOD BOOOK
READ GOOD BOOOK
READ GOOD BOOOK

DO NOT
DO
NOT
DO NOT READ UNOFFICIAL BOOK
UNOFFICIAL BOOK BAD
MAKE YOU A BAD BOY

BAD BOYS NEVER GET SEX FROM VAGINA GIRLS
I AM A GOOD BOY SOMEDAY I WILL ACCESS VAGINA
STAY AWAY FROM ME BAD BOY
STAY AWAY
YOU WILL MAKE THE VAGINA RUN AWAY IF YOU'RE NEAR ME

I AM A GOOD OFFICIAL SMART BOY
VAGINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

all you retards do is narrate about "reading", you don't even understand what you read, there is no real discussion here
you are literally illiterate retard authoritarian drones with SEVERE mental illness, a trained dog has more free will than you
all you do is posture as an 'intellectual' because you have no character or qualities - especially masculinity

[Anonymous No.16024556]

>>16019854
This, its super depressing. The most motivated I ever felt was when I was in jail and didn't have this box here enslaving my attention. I studied the Bible, journaled religiously and lost myself in books. That lasted for about a week after I got out.

[Anonymous No.16024558]

>>16024530
Absolutely destroyed everybody on this board.

[Anonymous No.16024559]

>>16023059
This is genuinely very good advice, thank you. I catch myself checking how many pages I have left before finishing chapters quite often. I didn't think of this as an issue before, but I now see how it could be, since it takes away from the enjoyment of reading and I guess prioritizes simply getting through the book.

[Anonymous No.16024560]

I have similar sort of problem OP. Whilst I can sit/lay down and read no problem, oftentimes I find myself re-reading the same sentence twice or even three times before the concept really cements in my head. I feel like such a brainlet but if I force myself to just keep reading I'm afraid what I'm reading won't really register in my head correctly. Anyone else do this?

[Anonymous No.16024576]

>>16019684
let’s get married

[Anonymous No.16024616]

>>16019684
OmG thAt is LiterAlY mE

[Anonymous No.16024625]

>>16020068
4chan and youtube, Reddit and Quora if I need a specific answer to some question I have. mostly. Beyond the first hour, I don't really like doing any of it, it just massages my attention.

[Anonymous No.16024634]

What's more cancerous:
Social media, vidya or porn?

[Anonymous No.16024642]

>>16024634
Porn and social media, vidya is ok, you could even use it as a distraction when quitting a bad habit because of how attention dependant they are.

[Anonymous No.16024664]

>>16024642
>using vidya to quit a bad habit
Next up, anon shows us how to quit heroin by snorting coke.

[Anonymous No.16024725]

Why do you read/try to read?

[Anonymous No.16024730]

>>16024664
It's a waste of time but it's influence isn't actively corrosive to the mind compared to the other two.

[Anonymous No.16024747]

>>16024634
How are any of these bad for you

[Anonymous No.16024751]

>>16024747
Fill your mind with garbage, make you a slave to your base impulses, prevent you from doing anything worthwhile with your life. If you prefer this it's not bad at all.

[Anonymous No.16024842]

>>16024730
Dunno, I've poured so much time into games, far more than the other two, on account of how so much more engaging they are. Then I turn the game off, realize 12 hours have gone by and all I have to show for it is a migraine and the vague memory of shooting some poorly animated computer people. Social media is probably worse though.

[Anonymous No.16025098]

>>16019684
Fuck that image is too accurate. It's a strange existence but 4chan fits me too well.
>>16023059
This is very effective. I would recommend to do short stories that way you get the sense of accomplishment and totality when you finish one. You might even get motivated to do a bunch.

[Anonymous No.16025165]

>>16022268
I've been consistently reading for a couple years but the last weeks it's been just so hard for me to concentrate. I've been watching streams of league of legends for like 3 or 4 days and it's so much easier than reading a book, and it gives you the illusion of company. I think I shouldn't feel any guilt for not reading but it's just there anyway because sometimes I don't even realize how 4 hours have happened and I've just been watching my screen without even thinking anything. I honestly hate this fucking technology but everything moves through it now so you have to be plugged or you are left behind by your social group.
Worse of all is how fucking natural it seems to everyone, I don't think they see it as a problem, and if I propose it as a problem I just sound (to me) like a pretentious ass because I know the demand for other things (philosophy or art) is just not shared by the rest of the people.

Typing this from my iphone.

[Anonymous No.16025244]

>>16019684
Try reading faster

[Anonymous No.16025260]

>>16019826
I don't understand it but I have seen it firsthand. My old roommate would read about 6 hours of manga every day. Just sit there and scroll through random mangasee harem stories and not move a muscle. Is it stimulating? Does you feel more confident? Is indulging in a cookie cutter story where little girls get angry at each other some kind of release? Please help me understand.

[Anonymous No.16025349]

>>16025260
Totally different things, anon, the appeal of manga and what I read is completely different - I feel exactly the same about manga as you, probably.
And to put it bluntly the enjoyment precedes the reasons for enjoyment; it is instinctive. But the appeal, I suppose, is that it puts people I can somewhat identify with in situations which I find highly appealing:
1) If you consider characters like Ishmael, or Leopold Bloom, or Don Quixote, or whomever /lit/ holds in high esteem nowadays - there's no will to conquer in them, no will to progress, no will to restructure the universe in their image. Nor is there a will for honest introspection: they are deliberately irrational characters and, as such, are revelatory of certain aspects of the human condition. But they are not representative of *me* as a being.
2) The setting is about escapism. Everything is coping and maybe I am just a bit more honest about it.

And I feel like you are creating a false equivalency between manga/chinkshit/western webnovels/etc. As I mentioned early, I do reads pure garbage sometimes, but some of it, the very best of it, actually holds literary insight. WtC (previous pic related) does everything I outlined above while being a valuable artistic object itself: the exploration of biblical archetypes, the deconstruction of narrative forces, the portrayal of the intelligent man in the age of fantasy/scifi consumerism, and so on, and so on...
Life is above literature, the myth of Great Books from which wisdom should be derived is false. The proverbial wisdom is not as tangible as that. It can only be assimilated as cumulative experience from a life entire. Do not discount mindless entertainment as an ultimately worthless part of the life of NPCs.

[Anonymous No.16025351]

Just sit down and look at the book for an hour. How is this such a widespread issue? How do you people hold onto employment if you can't successfully sit down for a small amount of time?

[Anonymous No.16025426]

>>16019699
This hahahajaj

[Anonymous No.16025439]

I just can't read philosophical stuff, my mind can't retain the info. I'm hoping I can eventually work up to it

[Anonymous No.16025450]

>>16019699
>They don't. They just read Wikipedia articles and pretend they know everything about whatever author is in the thread.

this sentiment reminds me of people on /fit/ who claim that abstaining from masturbation is a scam and anyone claiming to do so is lying

[Anonymous No.16025453]

>>16022815
Based advice
Also after a while, when you can read more than 5 pages without breaking focus you achieve a higher degree of immersion and visualisation.
At this point , after i warm up,i'm just scanning lines and playing it in my head

[Anonymous No.16025482]

>>16019684
Holy shit that image... are you fucking psychic?

[Anonymous No.16025528]

>read a book for 20-30 minutes
>pick up a controller and play vidya for over 7 hours almost nonstop
kek

[Anonymous No.16025607]

>>16022815
I was going really hard on nonfiction for the last couple years, I even remember saying to myself that novels just weren’t for me. Tied it to my identity a bit further emphasizing the habit. It led to a growing burnout on reading which I have offset by reading more novels and fiction. I had to realize that just because a book isn’t about hard science or philosophy or history doesn’t mean it lacks merit. Guess it’s just like a well balanced diet, gotta get all dem different nutrients

[Anonymous No.16025616]

>>16025482
Fuck off normalfag.

[Anonymous No.16025624]

>>16019684
The only way I was able to get myself back into reading was to buy an ereader and use that instead of physical books.

[Anonymous No.16025772]

>>16019684
WHY IS THIS LITERALLY ME
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I do the pacing and daydreaming thing too, but I still manage to read 50 pages a day on the days I read.

[Anonymous No.16025784]

>>16025351
>How do you people hold onto employment
Assuming a bit much here friend

[Anonymous No.16025823]

>>16025450
Exactly bro

[Anonymous No.16025840]

>>16019684
It's all a about the book, there's some things I've read that do this to me whereas with other books I can read 120-140 pages per day, but not for a number of days in a row.

[Anonymous No.16026184]

>>16019728
>I also recommend keeping a schedule
I did this and it helped quite a lot. Been reading 4 hours every morning for the past 16 days thanks to this

[Anonymous No.16026193]

>>16019684
I have the same daydreaming problem, however I think I’m able to at least beat it back by daydreaming to exhaustion at least for the day, allowing me to at least dedicate some time to a book at the end. I’m able to get at least enough time to read 30-80 pages a day. It’s weird but quite honestly just go over the same daydream plot points over and over, refine it, until you get a headache.

[Anonymous No.16026403]

Why are you guys trying so hard to read anyway? What is there to gain from reading stories that aren't real and learning things that aren't useful in comparison to watching stories that aren't real or shooting simulated things that aren't real? What's the difference? Emphasis more on fiction reading. Isn't that just any other media with extra longer steps?

[Anonymous No.16026454]

>>16026403
Nothing, there is literally no difference.

Anything that isn't making more money is a waste of time.

[Anonymous No.16026572]

>>16019684
>pic
literally me

[Anonymous No.16027372]

Literally me bros

[Anonymous No.16027710]

>>16026454
based bezos

[Anonymous No.16027741]

>>16019684
>doesn't play vidya
Not true, gonna play some Destroy All Humans
>doesn't waste his money
Not true
>Doesn't watch TV
not true, gonna watch some baseball later
>Doesn't talk about hobbies
Not true
>Doesn't do anything cringy
Faggy buzzword and not true
>Doesn't virtue signal on social media
true
>Doesn't say what he is thinking
not true
>doesn't shill products
Not true but why is this supposed to be a normie hobby anyway?
>doesn't get out of chair
True

[Anonymous No.16027765]

>>16019728
somebody post the pasta

[Anonymous No.16027791]

>>16019684
literally me (both post and image)

[Anonymous No.16027878]

Fiction is infinitely more entertaining than shitposting though. Usually I read 2-3 books a week. I do it by sitting down in my bed and reading.

[Anonymous No.16027919]

>>16019699
>projecting
I enjoy reading. I read 1-2 books a week, sometimes more. Fiction is entertaining man, being able to consume entertainment isn't very impressive or even worth faking.

[Anonymous No.16028958]

Niggaz

[Anonymous No.16029423]

>>16019684
I do not lack the willpower to read but I feel so exhausted most of the time which prevents me from doing virtually anything, so I lie in my bed waiting for that wave of energy to get me going for about an hour or two. I don't know if anyone can relate but this condition is suffering.

[Anonymous No.16029823]

>>16029423
Totally with you, man. I don't know if it's narcolepsy or chronic fatigue or wtf but I'm in burgerland with no insurance so going to a doctor to have it checked out is out of the question. Thing is I work 40 hours a week and commute another 20 and every day is a struggle to stay awake in the car or not let my co-workers see I'm seconds from passing out. I tell them I have digestive problems so I can nap on the toilet. Then I get a day off and spend the entire time stumbling between naps. It's hell and I often think what a relief it'll be when it's over. I do manage to read a book every couple of weeks on the margins of sleep but a huge portion of the content overlaps with hypnagogic hallucinations so I'm never sure how much of what I remember reading was actually in the book.

[Anonymous No.16029855]

OP has heard of maladaptive daydream?

[Anonymous No.16030543]

>>16019684
I do this but the daydreaming is relevant to whatever I'm reading. Like, I'd do this if I was in his shoes. Or if I'm reading something academic, I pretend I'm teaching it to someone etc lol

[Anonymous No.16031620]

>>16019696
Based but not redpilled

[Anonymous No.16031643]

>>16019854
>man, my life would be so much better if I was on the internet right now

[Anonymous No.16031725]

>>16019854
I don't even do that, 99.9% of the time I am browsing 4chan or watching a youtube video.

[Anonymous No.16031800]

>>16024634
GNU/Linux is probably a bigger time waster than all of them.

[Anonymous No.16032137]

>>16020117
That's the dream.

[Anonymous No.16032181]

>>16024560
Yeah, I'm the same way. Currently reading Infinite Jest and it takes me an avergae of nine minutes to get through one page because I keep re-reading the same thing over and over again.

[Anonymous No.16032194]

>>16019684
Your brain is absolutely fucked. I suggest you delete all social media and stop binging youtube (if you do).

[Anonymous No.16032487]

>>16019684
Turn off your phone and computer, take a deep breathe to clear your mind, set a timer for thirty minutes, and start reading.

[Anonymous No.16032827]

>>16019684
Sounds like adhd anon

[Anonymous No.16032830]

>>16019684
Find the right books. Enjoy what you read. If you're not enjoying what you're reading find something you do enjoy.

[Anonymous No.16034119]

>>16025165
Search ”Luke Smith” on youtube

[Anonymous No.16034259]

>>16019684
literally me. i wasn't always this much of a miserable fuck

[Anonymous No.16034263]

>>16019684
>tfw watch anime, play video games and read every day and don't care what's cool or not
I pity you fucks

[Anonymous No.16034291]

>>16031800
I'm a refugee from /g/, those guys are grade a bullshit artists. People who have never worked and will never work in tech, but talk a lot about it.

[Anonymous No.16035365]

I genuinly spend 90% of my time pacing around day dreaming. I recently bought myself weights for legs (like Rock Lee) because they make me get tired faster and therefore waste time less.
I daydream instead of doing anything else, and it feels better than anything else for me too. Like if I sit down and watch a movie I'll get bored and not have that much fun. But replaying the movie in my head just FEELS amazing.

[Anonymous No.16035396]

>>16022533
I'm gonna do it this time bros.

[Anonymous No.16035404]

>>16023059
>the page checking to see how much is left of the chapter
I confess to this.

[Anonymous No.16036681]

>>16019854
>>16031725
for me, it's 4chan and chaturbate. theres just so many cute girls to watch, and new ones every day :/
never spent a dime on it, though

[Anonymous No.16037059]

>>16034291
why wouldn't they be working in tech? probably coders or sysadmin or whatever

[Anonymous No.16037090]

>>16031725
Yeah and most of the time I'm bored as hell but I just can't stop.