My parents aren’t readers. They never were. Naturally, neither was I growing up. In middle and high school, I hardly picked up the books that were assigned to me— in part because reading gave me headaches, as well as my general disinterest in it. In fact, most of my “reading” experience was me frantically skimming SparkNotes right before a quiz.
Interestingly, I’ve always loved writing. But my limited reading experiences has negatively impacted my ability to grow as a writer.
Now, I’m an adult (24F), and I am just discovering the world of classics. It’s taken a lot to train my brain to enjoy fiction and to see its value. I am slowly but surely getting there. Still, I can’t help but feel bitter about what I missed out on as a kid. I wish I had a better vocabulary. I wish I had a more intuitive sense of grammar structures and could speak with more eloquence.
All that said, I guess I’m just looking for inspiration. Is there anyone else here with a similar background as me who has since become well-immersed into the reading world and grown as a person because of it? I have almost no childhood nostalgia books to look back on, and it makes me sad.
I would love some encouragement. Thanks :).
by cleo784