FINAL PORTFOLIO
Running head: CONTRIBUTION OF READING AND WRITING TO LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE AND WORTH 1
CONTRIBUTION OF READING AND WRITING TO LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE AND WORTH 4
Contribution of Reading and Writing to Life of Significance and Worth (Rough)
Sonya Love
Indiana Tech
ENG 1272
06/24/2021
Contribution of Reading and Writing to Life of Significance and Worth
Reading and writing contribute to a life of significance and worth. The primary importance of reading is that it helps create a case and intimacy with writing. Constant reading puts one in a mindset where they can write enthusiastically and without self-consciousness. It provides a person with a constantly growing knowledge of what has been done and what has not been done, what is commonplace and what is new, what works and what lies there dead on the page (Miller-Cochran, Stamper, & Cochran, 2019). The more a person reads, the more they become open-minded, understand themselves, and the world around them. Therefore, if a person wants to become a writer, they must read a lot and write a lot. While most individuals dislike reading volumes of books or writing a lot of content, it contributes to a life of significance and worth.
Some people argue that reading a lot and writing a lot is mental torture and a wastage time. Reading and writing are necessary when there is a need to learn a particular technique or art of fiction. Most slow readers find it burdensome to read seventy or eight books annually, whether fiction books or not. However, reading books should be a continuous process as it allows people to pick up lessons and learn. Writing has become part of contemporary society as people put together different opinions to share their point-of-view. Reading and writing are intrinsic to the individual as they are products of motivation. According to Malenczyk et al. (2018), the desire to constantly read and write is due to one's passion for reading and writing as much as possible. For instance, people can only study fiction stories not because they desire to learn its art but simply because they like fiction. Each book one read offers a lesson to teaching an individual regarding some aspects of life.
The creative centre of a writer's life is reading. Writers always carry a book with them wherever they go, and they will find there are all kinds of opportunities to dip in. The trick to becoming the best writer is to teach oneself to read in bits and then frequently. The reading realm has witnessed massive revolutions that enable a person to read wherever they are at any time. A classic example of such a revolution is the audiobook revolution that has allowed individuals to read while driving (Raimes & Miller-Cochran, 2018). Besides, one can read their favourite book at the long and tedious checkout lines in theatre lobbies before the show. Reading is part of our daily lives that prepares us to seriously turn inward toward the life imagination as we expand our knowledge concerning various aspects of life. Regular reading helps to improve one's quality of writing, which in turn enhances a person's quality of life.
Reading is part of the journey towards discovering our talents. With constant reading, one will ultimately find something that interests them. When people write something, they are always happy as the content creator even though no one is reading, listening, or watching (Miller-Cochran, Stamper, & Cochran, 2019). If we enjoy reading and writing and have the aptitude for them, we will not see enrolling on a reading and writing program of about four to six-hour daily as strenuous. Restricting our hearts to the desire to learn is what makes us lack the desire to read and write. For instance, if you fell in love with Bruce Springsteen's E Street band, particularly with the band's burly sax player, Clarence Clemons, you would like to learn and play like him. I hope that this ambition would turn out to be a talent, and so is reading (Miller-Cochran, Stamper, & Cochran, 2019). You could develop a passion for listening to the news analysts blowhards on CNN; you would be prepared to becoming a serious writer. With the desire for something, one finds joy in it and the good to do it. Hence, reading is a secret to discovering one's talent and the fun to use it in daily life.
Reading numerous books helps readers identify an essential book in their lives that creates a turning point in their writing journey. Most writers will never forget the book that they put down thinking. It becomes encouraging for struggling writer to realize that their work is undeniably better than someone paid for their stuff. A lot of reading helps the reader learn things that one should not do by reading bad prose. Some novels like Asteroid Miners and The Bridges of Madison County are just a few other books that constitute worth a semester at a good writing school. Good writing teaches the learning writer about style, plot development, graceful narration, truth-telling, and believable characters (Miller-Cochran, Stamper, & Cochran, 2019). An excellent example of such a novel is The Grapes of Wrath, filling a new writer with despair feelings and good old-fashioned jealousy. The novel imparts negative emotions to the writer by stating, "I'll never be able to write anything that good, not if I live to be a thousand" (Miller-Cochran, Stamper, & Cochran, 2019). While such feelings seem negative, they can serve as a spur by provoking the writer to work harder and aim higher in their writing journey.
Part of the necessary information for a writer is being swept away by a combination of excellent writing and a great story. It is until we are swept away that we can sweep someone else away in writing. Thus, reading allows someone to experience the mediocre and the outright rotten (Berns et al., 2013). The experience allows someone to recognize such things when they start to creep into their work and prevent them. Thus, reading is significant to help readers measure themselves against the great and the good, getting a sense of all they need to know.
Notably, reading plays a significant role in a person's ability to communicate. According to Susan Reynolds in her book "Fire Up Your Writing Brain," thoughtful and immersive reading is essential to becoming a better writer. Delving into literary fiction and poetry prompts a more reflective type of reading (Reynolds, 2016). Immerse reading activates a person's brain centers for vision, speech, and hearing, and they work collectively to help us read, speak, and write. Reynolds adds that an individual is reading brain senses cadence followed by more complex writing that someone's brain seeks to emulate when writing (Reynolds, 2016). Engaging in deep reading is good for our well-being as it increases empathy and offers writers a way to appreciate every quality that makes novels meaningful and fascinating.
In conclusion, reading and writing contribute to a life of significance and worth. Constant reading allows us to expand our knowledge and gain more insight. It enhances our ability to read, speak, and write. A good writer must constantly read with passion and fun since task becomes significant when we enjoy it. Reading numerous books challenges us to work harder and perfect our writing to become outstanding compared to those before us. Thus, learners must realize the importance of regular reading to enhance their writing skills. Students should be encouraged to start reading, as it will help them become good writers in the end.
References
Berns, G. S., Blaine, K., Prietula, M. J., & Pye B, E. (2013). Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain. Brain Connectivity, 3 (6). https://doi.org/10.1089/brain.2013.0166
Malenczyk, R., Miller-Cochran, S., Wardle, E., & Yancey, k, B. (2018). Composition, Rhetoric, and Disciplinarity. Utah State University Press. https://doi.org/10.7330/9781607326953
Miller-Cochran, S. K., Stamper, R., & Cochran, S. (2019). An insider's guide to academic writing: A rhetoric and reader. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, Macmillan.
Raimes, A., & Miller-Cochran, S. (2018). Pocket Keys for Writers (6th Edition ed.). Cengage Learning.
Reynolds, S. (2016, June 7). What You Read Matters More Than You Might Think: Why deep reading makes you a better writer. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/prime-your-gray-cells/201606/what-you-read-matters-more-you-might-think