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Am I Learning as Much from Reading Fiction as from Reading Nonfiction?
Yes. I’m learning things that make me rethink my approach to my own work.
More than a year ago, I began a new habit. My morning routine changed from spending an hour or two online playing games on Facebook to reading.
I get out of bed, feed the cats, start the coffee — then sit down on the couch with a book or my Kindle and proceed to read. Generally, I read at least one chapter from a fiction book and one chapter from nonfiction.
Throughout 2021, I read over 40 books. Both the fiction and nonfiction I read come from a variety of authors and had many different ideas and approaches.
Most of the nonfiction I read tends to be about mindfulness practices, self-help, life lessons, and self-improvement. I also read some histories, classics of philosophy, science, and workflow and writing improvement ideas.
The fiction I read has been mostly sci-fi. Though I’ve also read some fantasy and other fiction works that are harder to classify (Paulo Coelho’s works, for example).
While I read the nonfiction that I do to improve my mind and learn new ways to approach life — to learn new things overall — reading fiction has also had an educational impact on my life.