#10: A writer who doesn’t read is inexcusable
Remember how I said in my first post that I wanted to improve my writing output without sacrificing on quality? (If not, here it is!) Well, I was munching on breakfast today and reading “The Wave in the Mind” by Ursula K. Le Guin, when a sentence struck me:
“A writer who doesn’t read is inexcusable.”
I blushed a little inside, because more often than not, I’d rather be writing than reading. I feel like it’s a more ‘productive’ use of time. Visible output is addictive, while input slips by unnoticed. Besides, I need to keep the blog up and running! Yet I know deep down inside that her statement rings true.
As I mentioned in my first post — to write well, is to think well. To write well fast, is to think well fast. But writing from my own narrow perspective is like preparing a stew with only one ingredient. It will taste pretty bland, even if it’s the ‘best’ ingredient in the world.
This statement is a tap on my brain, a reminder that it is my responsibility as a writer, to read. I need to absorb a wide variety of topics, so that I have a colourful palette of perspectives to create with. I need to stimulate my brain and stretch the confines of my mind, so that I can view subjects from a wider angle, and understand them with more depth.
I am a firm believer that nothing you learn ever goes to waste, even if they may not seem applicable at first glance. It grants you the ability to look at one thing from two perspectives, to view concepts in 3D instead of 2D. A lateral viewpoint to a literal angle; an uncommon but brilliant way to solve an impossible problem.
To read is to converse with other people, albeit in your head, and to gain knowledge from their area of expertise. Time is immaterial here. You can communicate with anyone, whether living or dead, at your own pace. Wisdom from the beginning of time is still applicable in our modern era, providing us with extra tools to handle this thing called ‘life’.
I only made one simple resolution for 2017, and that was to read more. But I haven’t been too responsible about it so far. I do spend a lot of time reading articles on my phone, but I don’t consider that as ‘real reading’. They barely brush through the surface of a topic, and can be of a repetitive nature (top 5 of the same secrets). There is no depth to my reading; I don’t stop to muse over a suggestion or idea. All I want to do is move on to the next piece and the next, conquering them for trophies, instead of humbling myself to be a student.
I need to rededicate myself to my resolution, and it’s only been three months into the new year! What a fickle creature I am ;) But here it is — I’m planting these words down as a guidepost. This is a task I can accomplish despite my health situation. It is a guilt-free pleasure I am going to savour every day. All I need to do is crack open a book, and start reading the first line. Everything else will follow.
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