About Waste Not Read Lots

Post 506:

            This ain’t the sexiest of topics, but I think it’ll be helpful.

            It’s nice to be helpful.

            Two questions: What is the point of fiction, and what can really be gained by stuffing your face in make-believe?

            I think these are fair questions, and I’ve addressed them on several levels at other times in the blog, but I wanted to be specific.

            Reading fiction is a diversion, but it’s also a chance to borrow another life or lives for a little while. Walk a mile in another—you get it. This is why I advocate for playing video games in small doses. The mind needs something besides eat-work-sleep-oil change-eat-work-sleep-dinner at the place-eat-work-etc…

            Patterns are good. But not all the time. So says I, anyway.

            Today is all about production, so I get why people wonder what possible benefit they can derive from reading things that never happened. For those that have been to too many time-management seminars, here’s a few ways to get the most out of your make-believe.

            Just the way I do it.

            Always read with a pen. Mark anything that stands out. Maybe it’s a word that doesn’t make sense or that you don’t know. Could be a word that you know, but it’s being used in a different and creative way. This isn’t just for writers. It’s always good to add to your conversation belt. Why not be the one with the quirky turn of phrase on standby? Just don’t be a weirdo about showing off. That’s totally not the point. It’s like being a fast runner. You don’t make a thing out of it, but if a guy with a knife shows up, everybody’s going to know you had that chip in your back pocket.

            Weird comparison.

            Okay, so when you mark up the page, don’t stop. Stopping is the enemy. Just make a dash. Afterward, go back and look into whatever mark you made. I have a word document that is a hundred pages long of words I didn’t know or didn’t know how to use properly—all obtained from fiction.

            I’ve also got another file of facts that I just straight-up learned. Maybe a book taught me something about a weird part of WW2 or some rarely examined historical phenomenon. Fiction writers like to sprinkle in a bit of reality, and a lot of times it’s not the stuff people really know about. That’s how they get “recognized.”

            When I’m reading and following this regimen, my mind is sharper. I don’t have a lab or anything, but I’ve tested this out time and time again. Wish I could say that Netflix has the same effect, but that would be a lie. Reading involves more parts of the brain. Trust me. I’m not a doctor, but I’ve written several characters that are.

            Gym. Breakfast. Shower. Drop off the kids. Work it. Lunch. Meetings. Pick up the kids. Pay the bills. Read a novel????

            I know it’s crazy. It sounds crazy. And that’s the craziest thing about it.

            Cheers and see you after.