We assume that reading be it classic literature, science fiction or self-help books, is a common sense practice that comes naturally.
Not really.
Reading is as creative as writing is, it requires that the reader adopts a critical position in relation to the text and interacts with the author, all the while challenging each other on meaning, motivation and interpretation. How do you approach reading in order to maximize its benefits?
Subjectivity
Reading is a practice that demands from us to actively and consciously interact with the author and the protagonist. It calls us to question and criticize what we read, to make the book ours.
Letting go of expectations
Reading is a skill, because it also demands that we let go of any expectations regarding what we should be reading or understanding.
Be open to truth-bending and genre overlapping. Embrace the absurd and you will surely enjoy it.
Reading is Creativity
Reading is a wholly creative process that is instigated by our sheer interaction with the author. It invites us to re-create the author’s world in our terms, in our minds, based on our experiences and approaches in life.
It invites us to bypass author intentions and focus in bringing to the surface our own reactions, emotional and otherwise that the protagonists are stirring.
The heart’s delight
Ultimately reading is a soul-gratifying process. No matter its genre, it will be cathartic for our souls, it will make them smile even laugh, question and doubt the world and enter new realms of unexplored, fantastical realities.
Reading is personal, reading is an art. Visit it often, love it enthusiastically.