Blog (2023)

Judging a book cover.

Do I have the right to pass judgement on someone simply because they haven't read a book? Even though it may seem like a simple inquiry, please understand that there is always more to the story than that. Absolutely not—a resounding "NO," and there is zero chance that I will ever do so. It is impossible for me to imagine ever doing something like that to another person.

When I was a kid, I never had the opportunity to enjoy the experience of reading a book like a novel because that wasn't something that was easily accessible to me. There are some people who simply do not have the same good fortune as others. Reading and writing lessons are a chore for some unfortunate people, but others view them as a means to an end. They wish to improve their chances of furthering their profession or climbing the corporate ladder in an organisation that operates on a global scale, so they decide to study a foreign language.

I've been there before, but now I feel lucky or maybe even blessed to be surrounded by piles and piles of books, especially literary books. There are so many that there is no way I will ever be able to read all of them before my time on this earth is up.

When I was younger, the best way for me to improve my English was to scavenge an overnight newspaper and study from it. I found that studying from an overnight newspaper was the most effective technique then. Simply being able to write and speak the English language was my goal; it was sufficient for me to be understood by others who were fluent in that language for me to consider that a successful endeavour. It's not about enjoyment for me; it's about satisfying a need to get better.

Back then, we didn't have the same easy access to the Internet that we do now. It's considerably better now than it was back when I was growing up, but UNESCO estimates that there are still over 773 million adults worldwide who cannot read or write at a basic level; of these, roughly two-thirds are women. Literacy rates are still low in some parts of the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and this is due to a number of causes including poverty, a lack of access to education, and social and cultural hurdles. Although the literacy rate is generally higher in other places like Europe and North America, there are still pockets of low literacy, especially among impoverished people.

Hence, NO, I will never be able to judge other people for not reading novels or, even worse, for reading novels for their own amusement. I just can't bring myself to do that.

But I do pass judgement on those who take pride in having read a lot, because I can't even finish the second sentence in whatever it is that they have written. When you read crap, you will almost certainly wind up writing crap as well. It's just the nature of the beast. That has not escaped my notice.

"I write, then I write, and the more that I write."

"Isn't that not writing for you?"

Reading a lot is not necessary to develop the ability to write well because writing is a talent that can be learned independently. It's the same as learning to dance without any music playing in the background. On the other hand, doing so and gaining an understanding is always recommended. You have the ability to write so long as you have at least some reading comprehension.

It is a common misconception that a person needs to do a great deal of reading in order to improve their writing skills. To be more specific, in order to write better, you need to write a lot, and you also need to read well, but not necessarily a lot. Nonetheless, you do need to read.

It serves no purpose to read junk if one is only going to end up producing rubbish in their writing. Reading for a specific purpose is far more beneficial than reading for pleasure. Choose authors who are known for their expertise in the sector in which you desire to develop your skills. Reading meaningless content, of which there is unfortunately a great deal in today's world, is a waste of one's limited time and should be avoided at all costs. They won't help you improve as a writer in any way, so don't waste your time with them.

Do not act arrogantly when you find yourself in the words you have written. This is the last but not the least important piece of advice. Give them the opportunity to discover who they are through the writing and reading they do with your assistance.

"Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there'll always be better writers than you and there'll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that, but you are the only you." - Neil Gaiman

Good mental health includes being able to think effectively, write well, and read well.

I hope you had a productive writing day.