Reading

Reading is such a relaxing way to pass time. Unfortunately I don't read as much as I should. Sure I read many articles and short stories online, but it's been a while since I've sat down and read an actual book. The last book I read was "Cutting for Stone" which was a fascinating piece of literature that my uncle recommended to me. Before that, I read a book my younger brother got for me by Stephen King on the craft of writing in and of itself. Reading is an activity that I wish more people would take part in on a more regular basis. It's like giving your brain a work out while relaxing at the same time. Reading broadens your horizons and flat out just makes one smarter. Reading and writing go hand in hand which is why I wrote entries on them one after the other. Reading the writing of someone else gives one a glimpse into a different style of writing that you can incorporate into your own writing. One class I particularly enjoyed in college was my upper level creative writing class, mainly because we got to read and workshop each others short stories. This exposed me to so many new writing styles and most of the stories were incredibly entertaining. Scientific studies have shown that reading makes you smarter, and that's really not a surprise since it forces you to focus on an intriguing story and exercise your mind at the same time. One goal that I have for myself is to read a new book every month. I feel that this is a good idea because, not only will it expand my mind, it will improve my writing at the same time. It's really an amazing process, reading. Think about it, we're looking at slices of trees and vividly imaging, perhaps it could even be considered hallucinating, amazing stories in our minds. It could almost be considered a psychedelic practice. Reading is good for you, and I believe if more people read more frequently, it would improve society in general by enlightening the population, thus bringing about better ideas and better practices. If you don't read regularly, you really should. Honestly, it's simply good for your mental health.