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Unpopular opinion: we need to stop reading for the vicarious experience of it. Reading for escapism is fun, but you rob yourself of so much when you approach *ALL* books this way. #WritingCommunity
Not all books are meant to enthrall you & make you feel good. When you approach books as escapism, you're asking the author to provide you with a highly personalized experience. A world you find fascinating. Characters you personally empathize with. This is an impossible task. /2
Frankly, it's lazy reading too. You need to meet books on their own terms. Don't care about the characters? Why? It's no secret we struggle to empathize with ppl different from us. Are they poorly written, or are they just different from you? /3
It's such an amazing opportunity to CHALLENGE yourself. To grow as a person & to learn about something you might not understand. But when you read for a vicarious experience, you rob yourself of this by getting annoyed that the story isn't meeting you on your terms. /4
It's not the story's job to suit you. Sure, there will always be stories you hate for a multitude of reasons, but the reason should never be because you were unwilling to step outside your box & meet the story and its characters halfway--to learn about difference. /end
