I’ve heard the phrase “the one that comes first” is the one that keeps you from being a self-proclaimed genius. There’s no real justification for this phrase, but it’s not a perfect one. I have two goals for each of these goals I’ve outlined, and they’ve been the perfect recipe for creating a better life for myself right after working so hard and doing so much.
One of my goals for education is to get a good night’s sleep. For me, that means a good night’s sleep that will help me study better, which means I have to learn a new language. Two of my goals for education are to learn a better way of expressing myself in writing, and to make smarter choices about what I read.
The best way to make smarter choices about what you read is to read as many different things as possible. And that means reading nonfiction, fiction, and blogs. That means reading books about things other than the topics I study for my classes. That means reading books on history, art, philosophy, and other subjects I’ve never really thought about before.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, when you put it that way, why haven’t you done that already?” The answer is that, in the past, I’ve only read nonfiction. To be a good reader, you need to be a good writer. And this is the thing that separates good writers from good readers. Good readers, like good writers, are able to read different things and learn from them.
Like good readers, good writers are able to learn from different things and apply them to their own work. Thats the difference between good writers and good readers.
So if you need to be a good writer, you’re gonna have to be a good reader. And good readers are also good writers. How else are you gonna get to that place of being able to learn from, apply, and apply to your own work? Youre not gonna be able to learn from nonfiction because as a reader, reading nonfiction is a lot like learning to drive. You need to learn to read, and you need to learn how to read.
In other words, you need to have a good writing or reading skill if you want to learn to be a good writer. Also, you better be able to read nonfiction, because in the end, reading nonfiction is like practicing yoga.
Because youre not going to be able to learn from nonfiction, you need to be able to read fiction. And the more you read nonfiction, the more of a writer you will become. Because you will be able to apply what you learn to your own writing. And when you want to apply it to writing, you can read nonfiction.
But is this even a good thing? No. Because we are not looking for writing skills, but we are not looking for a good reader either. We are looking for a good writer. And that means you. And you better be good at writing fiction because you will get paid for your writing. And you better be good at reading fiction because you are going to be paid for your reading. The sooner you start doing these things, the sooner you will be an adult.