Dear book haters,

#reading #hobby #pasttime #imagination #newexperiences

You're missing out ,so here's how to give the love of reading another chance.

Not everyone enjoys reading as hobby, instead it is more of a laborious thing to do for many, but what if I told you there is a way to change that; however only if you allow it.

What we know

Let's go back to the beginning. When we are little, the way they teach us how to read is through picture book with fairly simple wording. As we get older the books keep getting larger with more eloquent wording. This is when most people tend to decide they don't like to read. It's a lot of mental work, so there is no way that is could be fun.

However, maybe it isn't that all reading is laborious but that the books you were choosing weren't the right pick for you. Personally, I love reading, it's one of my favorite past times, yet I can't get past the first paragraph of a science text book. Reading to learn versus reading to imagine are two completely different things. "Babies who are read to are learning that reading is fun and can involve all the senses: the feel of the pages, the smell of the glue... the visuals of the illustrations, the sound of the parent’s voice." states The New York Times article in "How to raise a reader". This is similar to how completing a worksheet in class is not as enjoyable for some as looking at an image of the topic at hand or forming some type of model; it further adds the other senses.

What I'm trying to depict is the necessity for more use of the imagination in reading, which has a bad rep for being extensive and too boring.

New outlooks

I went to a seminar during my time at Florida's Future Educators of America state conference, in which Dr.Dawn Cross expressed to her audience, the importance of making the story come to life for the kids we will or do teach. She also expressed more hands on, visual, and auditory stimulation, which will enhance the children's learning experience by adding their imagination into the equation.

In order to be able to enjoy the adventures of reading to the fullest, like some people already have, we must venture out. Try choosing books that are drenched in imagery or about subjects that you appreciate. Author Jeff Haden adds in "How to read a lot of books... " "I thought their books were books I was supposed to read. I thought having read the classics would make me ... I don't know, would make me something. In most cases, all reading those books did was make me bored." If you're not sure what topics may interest you, try to take this quarantine time to learn more about yourself: what you really like, dislike, away from the influence of society.

The imagination aspect is what makes books so profoundly mesmerizing to many and the more practice you get the more you'll be able to enjoy more types of literature. "As Willingham explains in his book Raising Kids Who Read, ... First, a child needs to be a “fluent decoder,” he told me—that is, able to smoothly “go from print on the page to words in the mind.” " expresses Joe Pinsker in an article published by The Atlantic. you'll have an imagination that has seen various unique ways to describe a simple image and an easier time "decoding" the words.

A more imagery filled text for example would be, If I describe the sky as a projected hologram looking image with an hombre effect of blue hues blanketing over the planet: an infinite dome; deep and vast like the ocean, then it would be easier to fully imagine in comparison to just saying blue or another color. The more described a scenario is the easier it is for the reader to transport themselves to the setting of the story. Ultimately, reading should feel like your living through the story, or at least looking at it as clear as if you've seen it on a television. For one of the exercises Dr. Dawn Cross showed us, chosen individuals were assigned a character and encouraged to act out the scene that was read to us. This helps young students transport themselves into the story and have a greater understanding from their experience.

The aim is to present reading not as “spinach,” but as “chocolate cake. - Pamela Paul

The beauty of reading

The wonderful thing about allowing yourself to submerge into the reading is that you may edit what the author wrote. Maybe this doesn't work for reading assigned by a school for the purpose of testing or other content evaluation, but for fun it does. If altering the look of a character helps you get into the story line better, then you may do so; there are no rules to reading. In regards to watching a televised adaptation, there is little room to make these adjustments.

When reading in your head, you can experience a scene however you want. You can place yourself in that field with the endless fields of roses or in the middle of an abandoned town like the author wrote. Some of the most imaginative scenes in books are not included on the movie or show adaptation because they are too expensive to produce. Your imagination however is limitless, with no budget to abide by.

To find the real beauty in reading, get past the words. Don't focus on the fact that there are words on the page and that you'll have to use too much brain power to get through them. Pinsker adds in his article "Paul said; the aim is to present reading not as “spinach,” but as “chocolate cake.”" Instead focus on the image these letters convey, in every page there is a hidden image for you to create with the words that are given to you.

"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."

— Neil Gaiman

Another chance

It's never too late to start and if you've tried it before and haven't had a pleasing experience, open yourself up to other chances the same way we never give up on the idea of love and finding the right person for us. The right book is waiting to be found and with so many different genres to choose from there's plenty of chances to find the right one. If you don't know what you like, usually what you like to watch is the same thing you'll like to read and if you're bold and patient enough, you may even write what you want to read; make your own novel or short story. I'm not patient enough to write a whole novel, so I blog instead.

If you still don't believe that reading is for you, that's okay we all have hobbies that suit us better than others; the true love of reading may only come if you open yourself up to the experience without the scrutiny of the other failures clouding your judgement.

Sincerely,

A visual learner