Why You Should Read Fiction

Some people think reading fiction is a waste of time. I could not disagree more.

When I was younger, I rarely ever read any fiction. I thought it was a waste of time. I was too busy reading non-fiction books aimed at improving my life, my business, my relationships, my understanding of the world. Who had time for silly stories?

It wasn’t until about five years ago that I started taking a real interest in fiction. At first, it was for similar reasons that I had read non-fiction: I wanted to improve my writing and a number of books about writing stated that fiction was the best way to improve and practice your writing skills.

(Apparently, in baseball terms, writing non-fiction is like the minor leagues in terms of skill and difficulty while fiction is the major leagues, and literary fiction is like the World Series.)

Later, while researching and writing The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, I got burnt out on non-fiction. So I started reading fiction as a way to escape and take my mind off all the philosophical concepts and psychological arguments I was obsessing over every day.

And while I had read some fiction in the past, this is when fiction really began to shine for me. I grew an appreciation for it I had never had before. And dare I say, I…