The Guilty Reader Part 2 -

Okay, once I posted last week’s blog I could already hear the Greek chorus say:

‘Oh me oh my

We could just die.

Our shame is enormous

It brings tears to the eye

We’re not proper readers

Our guilty heart knows

The titles we love

Are not proper prose’

(Yes my Greek chorus is rather chatty)

To this I say: Nonsense.

Here’s my radical take on reading.

If you’re reading, you’re reading the right books (stories, plays, poems, fill in the blank) for you.

To paraphrase a well known statement regarding exercise (the best exercise is the one that you will do) I will say the best books to read are the books you will read.

Full stop. End of story.

Reading ‘proper’ books (those sanctioned by the mainstream, critics, academics or your exceptionally well-read sixth grade neighbor) must not interfere with your literary diet.

You can consume anything. Taking this approach helps hone your skills as a writer. Through reading you’ll discover the stories filled with addictively delicious empty calories and ones that satiate for hours. You’ll understand the ones that give you heartburn and the ones that comfort you again and again.

In this way reading becomes a skill: Not only of comprehension but rather observation. Your mind will craftily store away different tricks of storytelling you never knew possible. But you have to read for pleasure first in order to jump to the next step—reading to study.

There’s no checklist…no wait…there sort of is, but only when it comes to studying genre. That’s a whole other topic for another time (I’ll make a note).

For now, my main point is making reading fun.

You have preferences—likes and dislikes—and they will lead you to your vein of gold. If you don’t like reading poems and short story collections it doesn’t matter how much an author you admire tells you to read them. Read something you want to read.

I don’t care if you’re eighty-two and love reading middle grade fiction. A biology professor who enjoys reading fantasies featuring talking ducks. Who’s to stop you? Go for it!

When you read what you want, reading becomes easy. It’s no longer a chore—something you have to do.

“Hmm…that looks/sounds interesting” is a perfectly valid reason to start reading something.

Reading for pleasure is a great tactic to get you started reading again (if you stopped) or to enjoy reading again (if it’s become a chore).

Find the stories that fill you with enthusiasm, ones that makes you want to know ‘what’s next?’ The truth is the reading game is rather simple.

If you’re reading, you’ve won.

No guilt necessary.