Is it when you’re willing to set everything else aside just to keep your eyes on its pages?
Or is it when, as a reader, you picture everything you see, and as a writer, you write down everything you feel.
Or perhaps it’s when you carry the book with you like a mirror, so you’re never alone!?
Its presence evokes feelings of empathy, joy, and reflection.
In the Washington Post, I came across an interesting column about the impact of dogs on our interpersonal relationships.
I wondered if I could apply the points of this article to the writing world.
A book, like a dog, is a cure for loneliness. Writers, too, are lonely in their writing.
They need a relaxed atmosphere, a creative environment, and creative thinking. Thinking that will lead readers to read and recommend such a book to others as well.
Technology and books are leading us toward a therapeutic culture.
And if a dog brings you comfort, why shouldn’t writers be therapists and pharmacists with the medicine of good reading?
Does the relationship between a writer and a dog enhance the personal resonance of the interplay between writers and readers?
Can the presence of dogs blur the boundaries between artists and thinkers?
So what about CATS?
How how
Or is it perhaps wishful thinking on the reader’s part? As readers, we have certain expectations and preferences. We imagine the story we’ve read in a specific way, and naturally develop certain expectations regarding the book’s possible future sequel. We often make our opinions known to the author through fan works and fandoms. Do you think a good author will take their readers’ wishes into account? Or does being a good writer mean you must be completely independent and come up with the story entirely on your own?
The ancient Egyptians believed that the soul is divided into two parts. “BA” is the part that moves freely between the worlds of the living and the dead, while “KA” is a powerful force that persists even after our death. When these two parts are united in one person—“AKH”—that person becomes immortal, blessed with the privilege of spending their eternal life among the gods.
This myth reminded me of the connection between the author and the reader. Our souls unite through our shared passion for a story.
Because of this union, the book becomes “immortal.”
Is it nice to ponder such things?
Numerous studies have shown that reading promotes the structural and functional development of the brain. Literate individuals have greater activity in certain parts of the brain and more efficient connections between them compared to illiterate individuals.
This is particularly pronounced in children. Ended with regular reading habits, children achieve better cognitive and behavioral performance.
The same goes with writing. What do you think makes writing so cognively challenging (and thus important for our intellectual development)?
In my opinion it is because of extensive research we must do in order to write a good book.
In order to make a book truly immersive, we must first educate ourselves about of the historical and geographical context of its settings. We must also strive to be creative, encouraging ourselves to think outside the box.
Would it make sense to compare the act of reading and writing to sports?
We train our brain just how we train our body.
Is there any difference?
By incorporating truth or fiction? Probably both!
Writing a book is an art. Our brains don’t perceive art passively. Instead, they literally immerse themselves in it. A writer will be better if they write a story as if they were the hero in it. Why? Art is connected to ideas that trigger a conscious process. Through the writing process, our creativity is reflected in our associative cortex (the part of the brain that serves as our center for thought).
I’m drawing on neuroscience to explain this and linking it to the fundamentals of writing.
These can be real events, historical experiences, or even current topics of the present day.
When we anchor the fiction of a story to them, our imagination has anchors that allow writing to carry us to the sky.
The story will also be more tangible for the reader.
I arrived at these conclusions after reading a series of books (light crime fiction with an emphasis on cuisine, interpersonal relationships, geography, and the beauty of nature) by the author Jean-Luc Bannalec. His body of work has become an ambassador for tourism in Brittany, France. People follow the descriptions of his journeys, stay in his hotels, eat the food he recommends, and visit the restaurants he features.
Was his literary success due to the authenticity of his descriptions and a brilliant blend of fiction? Or, perhaps in the fact that he lived in the places where he wrote?
Was Oscar Wilde right when he wrote: “There are no moral or immoral books. Books are either well-written or poorly written.”
Can we apply this thought to other genres and connect it to my own ideas?