Why I LOVE writing but HATE reading!
Whenever I hear people talk about how much they love writing, they always talk about how much they also love reading. The two hobbies seem to go hand in hand, and that makes a lot of sense. After all, if you love writing words to create a story, why wouldn’t you love reading words that create a story?
Well…that’s never been the case for me! I think I’m in a minority here, but I’ve always loved creating stories with my writing, but I’ve struggled my whole life with reading stories. So, I wanted to talk about why I think that’s the case. Also, if anyone reading this also has the same struggles, I hope this piece helps you feel less alone in your struggles.
(Pexels.com Stock Image)
I think one of the main reasons I struggle with reading is because, as a kid, it was very apparent that I had some form of learning difficulties. I got tested at the time for ADHD, but the specialists said I didn’t have it. In fact, a lot of different specialists examined me at the time, and no one could really tell what was up with me, just that something was up with me.
This was back in the 1990s mind you, not as much was known back then about ADHD or other neurodiversities, and I now think that they might have been wrong. From more recent research I’ve read and also from hearing other people’s experiences online, I think I probably do have some form of attention deficit.
(Pexels.com Stock Image)
When I try to read for enjoyment, I often have to re-read what I’ve just read multiple times, because my brain gets distracted and glosses over the words. Interestingly though, if I’m reading something for a specific purpose (for example, I’m reading to learn something new about a certain topic), I am then able to concentrate a lot more on my reading. My concentration still isn’t perfect, but it’s way better in those scenarios. I think this is because I trained my brain as a kid to just focus on reading the things that would help me pass school.
Here's a funny little story of one time I managed to concentrate on reading for a specific purpose; in my secondary school (ages 11 to 16 for anyone not from the UK), there was a teenager the same age as me who I had a huge crush on. They also happened to be my best friend at the time, a real classic romcom situation! Nothing romantic ever happened between us BUT there was a particular book that this friend of mine loved.
It was ‘A Tree grows in Brooklyn’; it’s a semi-autobiographical novel written by Betty Smith about a young girl’s coming-of-age in the 1910s – 1920s in America. It’s just a story about the experiences of this young girl living in the slums of Williamsburg, but from what I remember, it’s a really good story. It’s also a pretty long book, and I forced myself to read the entire thing back then, because I knew my friend loved it…so I wanted to impress them and be able to talk about it with them. Basically, not only did I want something we could talk about as an excuse to talk to them, but I wanted to show them that I cared deeply about them by forcing myself to engage with this thing they really loved.
Yes, I was a massive simp! Don’t @ me!
Anyway, the reason the specialists told my parents that I couldn’t have ADHD was because I was still able to concentrate on things I enjoyed. They used my love for drawing as an example. They believed at the time that ADHD meant you couldn’t focus on anything, even the stuff you like doing, therefore I couldn’t have it.
However, there’s a lot of research nowadays that claims that people with ADHD are able to hyperfocus on things they enjoy, but struggle more than neurotypical people when trying to concentrate on something they aren’t interested in. Of course, it’s always difficult for anyone to concentrate on something they aren’t interested in, but people with ADHD or other neurodiversities experience this struggle to a far greater extent.
Whatever I had or still have, all of this is to say, I’ve always struggled with concentrating on things that don’t grab me instantly. I’m a very visual person; I like art, photography, films, tv shows, video games, animation etc. etc. And a lot of novels don’t have illustrations, unless they’re for very young kids. So, my mind tends to wander off and get distracted while reading.
That’s not to say I’ve never read a book or enjoyed reading one, obviously! My favourite book is actually Watership Down, and that’s a pretty hefty book! But something I’ve noticed is that the books that really grabbed me all had one thing in common; they all made it really easy for me to visualise what was happening. For example, Watership Down is a story about rabbits, and I know what rabbits look like. So, visualising the rabbits in the book and what they were doing was very easy for me. As another example, fanfiction of movies, shows or video games can be really easy for me to read. This is because I already know what the characters and settings look like thanks to the film, show or video game the story is based on.
So, why do I love writing so much? If I’m such a visual person, why don’t I make films, graphic novels, shows or video games to tell my stories with? Well, I think ultimately, it’s because writing is something (most of us) learn as kids. It’s an essential skill taught at most schools. And once you know how to do it, all you need is paper and a pencil or a pen, and you can create anything you can imagine…just with words. And I think that’s magical! To be able to create an image in someone else’s head of something that doesn’t exist, just with scribbles on a piece of paper? I don’t know about you, but that sounds like magic to me!
I also love writing because, most of the time, you have complete control over your story. If you’re making a film, tv show or video game, you normally have to collaborate with other people to make it a reality. But you don’t really need that with writing, unless you choose to hire other people to help, such as editors. Also, since I struggle to read unless I can easily visualise what’s happening, writing is therefore a breeze for me; I can already visualise what's happening, because I’m the one writing the story!
(Pexels.com Stock Image)
A lot of people say that in order to be a good writer, you need to be a good reader. I think this is true, to an extent, because I think reading a lot of books helps you discover different writing styles to help you find your own. Reading is also, obviously, another source of inspiration; if you read other people’s work, you might be inspired by certain ideas that you might want to include in your own writing.
I’m not telling you to straight up steal or plagiarise other people’s ideas, by the way! But it’s impossible to absorb stories and not find elements that you’ll want to incorporate into your own writing.
However, I personally believe you can find your own style and inspiration through other media. For example, lots of people who have read my work say I’m very good with dialogue. That would make sense since most of my inspiration comes from films, shows and video games.
On the other hand, this means that I often struggle with description in my work. Since films, shows and video games don’t need to describe anything because you can just see what’s there on the screen, I’m not used to writing text that describes what something looks like very well. If I was a more avid reader, I would probably have developed that skill more.
The other thing I have discovered is that editing your work is a real b*tch when you aren’t good at reading! Hence why my novel is still not finished yet!
But anyway, those are just some of my thoughts on writing versus reading. Do any of you prefer one to the other, or do you love both? Let me know in the comments and have a lovely day!
(Pexels.com Stock Image)
Sources:
https://www.readandspell.com/ADHD-reading-problems
https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adhd-symptoms-hyperfocus
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14891.A_Tree_Grows_in_Brooklyn
https://austinkleon.com/2019/01/22/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-you-have-to-be-a-reader-first/
https://janeyburton.com/do-i-have-to-read-to-be-a-good-writer/