Some nuggets of wisdom from What you read matters more than you might think. by Susan Reynolds.
A new study shows how and what you read affects the brain—from increasing empathy to improving writing ability. And some tips on “firing up your writing brain.”
Reading deeply may be even more important to writing ability than writing instruction. (But we still say, keep writing daily…)
“…researchers found that reading content and frequency may exert more significant impacts on students’ writing ability than writing instruction and writing frequency.”
Benefits of literary fiction vs fluff and gossip. (No shockers here, really.)
“…literary fiction provokes thought, contemplation, expansion, and integration. Reading literary fiction stimulates cognition beyond the brain functions related to reading, say, magazine articles, interviews, or most online nonfiction reporting.”
If you really want to be a better writer, forget the TV and reach for a literary novel or collection of poetry. “Time spent watching television is almost always pointless (your brain powers down almost immediately), no matter how hard you try to justify it, and reading fluff magazines or lightweight fiction may be entertaining, but it doesn’t fire up your writing brain. If you’re serious about becoming a better writer, spend lots of time deep reading literary fiction and poetry and articles on science or art that feature complex language and that require your lovely brain to think.”
