Why Reading Widely Is So Important

If you talk with any professional writer, at some point they will likely tell you that if you’re interested in becoming a writer, you need to read. Read a lot. The same holds true if you’re writing a major paper or dissertation. Read more, and read widely – especially things that you think may not be relevant to you, or that you might not like. Why? Well, think about it – could you imagine an athlete who doesn’t watch and rewatch their matches or races, looking for things they could do differently and dissecting what worked and what didn’t? Would you take a musician seriously if they didn’t listen extensively to music? Writing is no different. Reading benefits everyone, but especially students and writers.

Reading, especially reading outside your comfort zone, can inspire you, teach you new things, broaden your interests, and show you new writing techniques, styles, and craft skills. Academically, reading widely, both in your subject area and in other areas, provides you with additional knowledge, increases your vocabulary and grammar skills, and provides more opportunities for critical thinking and engagement with subject matter. Reading literary fiction has been found to increase empathy and reading diverse books builds empathy, increases our awareness of others, and enables us to experience stories from a variety of viewpoints. It informs our worldview, which is always a good thing.

How can you increase your reading variety? The next time you’re at a bookstore or library, try picking up something you’ve never read before and that you normally wouldn’t choose. There are also lots of reading challenges online that you can participate in. Reading challenges encourage participants to choose reading materials from genres, authors, and on subjects they normally wouldn’t choose, increasing the diversity of their existing collection. There are plenty of reading challenges you can find online, like the Read Harder challenge from Book Riot, the PopSugar Reading Challenge, or Bookish’s 2019 Reading Challenge. If you have a group of friends or classmates who would like to join you, you can even make your own bookish challenge with a mashup of existing ones!

Unfortunately, while reading is a great (and necessary) way to improve your writing, it may not be enough. A professional editor like Thesis Editor can provide you with expert editing, formatting, and critical feedback to take your thesis or dissertation to the next level. (Check out our post here on how a professional editor can save you time and money, as well). If you’re feeling stuck in your writing or want to get professional, objective advice on how to improve your paper, contact us today. < Self-Care During COVID-19 EndNote: An Introduction >