![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Via Dr S, Michael Bourne's wonderful essay for The Millions on being an obsessive reader, which holds up something of a mirror to my life.
But while I recognise many of the symptoms, I don't think the root cause is the same in my case. I read obsessively because I'm interested in everything and want to be able to put everything in context.
I don't read out of a desire to learn how to write, because, like Bourne, I care too much about good writing and know enough about my own abilities to know that producing well-written fiction (and, I suspect non-fiction) lies outside my capabilities. To paraphrase: it is better not to write and be thought a fool than to put pen to paper and remove all doubts.
But while I recognise many of the symptoms, I don't think the root cause is the same in my case. I read obsessively because I'm interested in everything and want to be able to put everything in context.
I don't read out of a desire to learn how to write, because, like Bourne, I care too much about good writing and know enough about my own abilities to know that producing well-written fiction (and, I suspect non-fiction) lies outside my capabilities. To paraphrase: it is better not to write and be thought a fool than to put pen to paper and remove all doubts.
