Dave, a fun and refreshing conversation, but I disagree that reading a book is not a conversation.
Reading a book is very much a conversation. In the act itself it is an internal dialog (a conversation with yourself). It can also be part of a larger conversation. For example listening to the presentation was an internal dialog, but this interaction has become part of an ongoing conversation with the presenter.
As a writer you are only having a conversation with your audience if they do more than read your work. They need to analyze it and reflect back with you. In this way you as an author of a book or an article or a blog post are having a lot of having conversations with some of your readers, but not all. Those folks are using your works in their own conversations.
So bottom line reading is a conversation, the only question is with whom (and the answer can never be with a book or another artifact).
Dave, a fun and refreshing conversation, but I disagree that reading a book is not a conversation.
Reading a book is very much a conversation. In the act itself it is an internal dialog (a conversation with yourself). It can also be part of a larger conversation. For example listening to the presentation was an internal dialog, but this interaction has become part of an ongoing conversation with the presenter.
As a writer you are only having a conversation with your audience if they do more than read your work. They need to analyze it and reflect back with you. In this way you as an author of a book or an article or a blog post are having a lot of having conversations with some of your readers, but not all. Those folks are using your works in their own conversations.
So bottom line reading is a conversation, the only question is with whom (and the answer can never be with a book or another artifact).