• Julius Topohozin

I got to know through reading about Paschal Uche Ejikeme, popularly known as Etcetera, a Nigerian phenomenal musician. Prior to that time, I never knew such an artist existed. That changed immediately when I read a piece of torn magazine. I have formed the habit of reading anything on the paper wrappings of whatever I bought, if it was written in English.  As a writer or intending one, reading should be one of your fortes. If it is not, then you have to develop it. You can never be a good writer if reading is burdensome to you. The question I will ask you is: what is it you want to write about without first reading about it? 

 

Reading is synonymous with gathering sticks with which to light a fire in preparation for cooking. Without it, writing is impaired. If you intend to positively influence your readers and the world at large, reading should be like the breath you take. In this article, I will be sharing with you nine benefits that reading will do for you.

1. Reading exposes ignorance 

The more you prioritize reading, the more you discover your ignorance. When you realize that you are limited in your knowledge base, your next move is to cover for that lapse.

2. Reading builds confidence 

There is a feeling of confidence that knowledge bequeaths to those who are its adherents via reading. If you are a voracious reader, you will have confidence, and this will make you have something to say in conversations.

3. Reading gives you exposure 

It is through reading that you get to experience what obtains in different spheres of human endeavors. The ancient Greek writers and philosophers sat before great teachers and in addition, read voraciously. No wonder, their depth of knowledge.

4. Reading expands your vocabulary 

It is through reading that you can expand your vocabulary base. When you read, you most certainly will come across words and expressions that will make you want to consult the dictionary for proper understanding.

5. Reading broadens your mind

Through reading, you allow yourself the opportunity to explore knowledge which in turn enriches your mind with information. 

6. Reading gives you an edge 

Why do we admire great writers? We do so principally for the knowledge they shared in their books. Secondly, we want to use their mode of expression to fashion out a unique way of making our own expression. The knowledge that these writers have acquired over the years as a result of dedication to reading has made them authority in their different fields that people consult.

7. Reading will expose you to better ways of doing things

A student who failed an examination and who is desperate to turn that failure into success, will be forced to dig deep through reading into consulting relevant materials that will help realize the wrong methods he has been applying to a new way to achieve success.

8. Reading makes you an authority 

The more the knowledge you acquire in a certain field, the more you become an authority in that field. This isn’t magic. You have invested time and effort into reading. That time and effort will surely be rewarded with knowledge that others will come to learn from. When this happens, you have become an authority in that field.

9. Reading can influence you

I watched an interview in which Keji Hamilton, a former band member of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo, confessed to reading Kwame Nkrumah’s book that negatively influenced him. A friend also told me that he was positively influenced when he read Kenneth Hagin’s Authority of the Believer. These two examples are a testament that reading influences people.

If you want to be a renowned writer, then you must give reading its rightful place in your mental development.

 

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