There are two ways you can explore the world: either by traveling or by reading a lot of books.
These were not the words of some famous person, but rather my best friend. He had said this when I asked him how I could learn to write.
You see, I was not really fond of reading, especially when it came to those 300-page, picture-less novels. During our school days, we had the luxury of borrowing any book of our choice from the school library for a day or two. I would always go for one encyclopedia or the other – more so because they had pictures than out of some newfound desire to learn new facts. I would occasionally go for a Harry Potter or Hardy Boys book, both of which were relatively new at the time. However, instead of reading those books, I would wonder how many textbooks could fit into them. Looking back, I wish I knew better.
By the time I was in college, I had become somewhat of a movie buff. In fact, that is how I eventually came over the word ‘screenplay‘, which serves as the blueprint for every movie. While I was familiar with the rules, I had no idea how to actually create a story. And that is when I approached my best friend, who happened to be an avid reader. The rest, as they say, is history.
The first book I would pick up – with the intent of actually reading it, I mean – was Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. My selection process was rather simple – the book seemed small; in fact, it was not even 100 pages! I was like yes, I can get through this. However, twenty pages into the book, I was already beginning to get curious about what was going to happen over the next seventy pages or so. And, by the time I was done reading, my perception of books had undergone a paradigm shift.
It was not just my vocabulary, but also the way I looked at life and the challenges and opportunities it often throws our way. That was what I had been looking for forever.
Even more interesting was the fact that books did not scare me anymore. I now know for a fact that I will have a new story in my head when I am done reading a book. And while I may not have liked every book I have gone on to read since then, I have gained something from all of them.
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
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