New Social “Disorder?”

3 November 2010 | Filed Under Publishing 


Lonely Children

While reading Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger, about students sharing information and knowledge as they read, and a collective of readers, I had a strange vision:

Gone is the lonely child, reading in a corner. Gone are the school nerds who prefer books to sports. Gone too is the solitary reader, trying to escape into solitude.

Reading is now one of the most social activities out there. Even if you are alone on the couch with your book, you are in fact surrounded by other readers. They make comments, ask questions, raise issues. They are never silent; they never stop.

As the act of reading expands, so does its social status. Readers are no longer snubbed or taunted, but embraced as fellows.

You can read by yourself, but you will never be truly alone in reading again.

Comments

2 Responses to “New Social “Disorder?””

  1. Sara S on November 3rd, 2010 4:35 am

    I love the idea of reading being a social activity… One of my favorite things has always been people reading the same books that I’ve read and then getting to talk about them! Same goes for online forums.. I love talking about books, haha.

    Guess what?! I signed up for Nanowrimo =)). Be my writing buddy?

  2. Jenn on November 3rd, 2010 7:51 pm

    I love talking about books, but I don’t know if I’ll enjoy reading as the ultimate social activity: being able to see what others have highlighted in my book, or their notes, or their “TEAM HARRY” comments. Maybe you can turn those features off?

    Of course I will! Yay for NaNo! If you haven’t friended me yet, check out the left sidebar. Let me know what your username is and I’ll friend you back!

Leave a Reply




  • Welcome

    new haircut

    Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

    You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
    jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

  • Official Progress


    4/21 segments

    A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

    Status: Second revision



    1,639/70,000 words
    A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

    Status: First draft



    1,087/70,000 words
    When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

    Status: First draft





  • All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
    Jennifer Johnson © 2010