Keep reading. Whatever it is you read–keep reading. I have written and published literary fiction, fantasy, and short stories, but I’ve read books from various fiction and nonfiction categories. Most of the time, I confess, I read literary, general fiction, and fantasy and sprinkle in some nonfiction. I love variety. Don’t you?
My mantra is whatever you like to read, keep reading it. At the same time, be open to new genres
What You Read is Open to Interpetation
As a writer of fiction, I believe all works of literature are open to interpretation. I completely encourage this. There’s magic behind reading, and it comes from taking the time to reflect on what we are reading.
My best reads are those that give me something to think about.
Non-fiction vs Fiction
Non-fiction, for the most part, is less about interpreting the prose but about accepting or, sometimes, questioning the facts that are laid out in front of us. But nonfiction has broad categories as well. I’m thinking of self-help, how-to, historical accounts and biographies, and books on belief systems among many others.
Even if you read non-fiction, you just can’t believe everything you read. It’s good to read a variety of non-fiction books about the same subject matter and by doing so, we gain rich perspectives. What’s important in my mind, is, however, whatever you like reading, keep reading.
More about Fiction
When you pick up a book, each story is new and fresh to us, and when we immerse ourselves into each paragraph, sentence, and word it is, of course, through our personal lens—and all the many relationships we have. This is among my favorite reasons to both keep reading and writing fiction.
Fiction is about Relationships
We are all about relationships. Not just relationships with humans, but relationships with animals and any living being including plants, trees, and insects – if you don’t believe me, many belief systems revere many different kinds of living beings. But we also have relationships with our earth, and our God, or not — depending upon what we believe. We can’t forget our relationship with ourselves which I think is sometimes overlooked.
What did I miss?
Given just this short list, building, and sustaining relationships is a full-time job! It only goes to show that when we read literature, depending upon which relationships we value most, certain parts of a story mean different things to every reader. Reading fiction is a very personal undertaking unless you are on some kind of mission to read 500 books a year! But that’s a different sort of reading altogether.
We are unique in every way and, perhaps, it is because of the way we view our existence.
Just think about the reviews you’ve read. Some readers love a book while others hate it. Some readers identify an obscure part of a story and latch on to it while others miss that part altogether. We owe it to ourselves to invite differing opinions on the written word and if we do, perhaps more people will keep reading.
Humans and our Love and Need of the Written Word
There is nothing more human than the written word that we created many centuries ago. Yes, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and other forms of expression are vital and should be appreciated, but the written word does more and allows us to live among those in the story.
Words allow us to tell the story of what it is to be human, to interpret it, and to realize that every emotion we feel today has been felt by millions before us, whether we were queens, farmers, or factory workers. This makes our relationships with each other all the more important.
It is how the characters respond to what comes their way and our response to the character.
When we think of all the genres in fiction, such as horror, mystery/crime, science fiction, thriller/suspense, romance, fantasy, western, historical, or young adult, every story depends on how the characters respond and react to their various relationships in their lives. This opens the magic door for us to eavesdrop and get drawn in. Yes, the plot is important, especially for specific genres, but even so it is all about how we interpret the relationships in the story.
No matter what, keep reading.
What do you think?
About E.G. Kardos
I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write. Here’s more about me and my books.
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