Have you ever read a book which states that by the very act of picking it up and reading it, you have become part of the writer's world? I just love this idea. Anything that begins: 'You have not found this
page/website/book by accident…' and I am totally, utterly hooked. Call me naive,
but the thought that the writer and I are co-conspirators in some kind of magic experience is highly attractive.
When I read I am transported to another world. Now where that world is and how real it is are questions I can't answer. I am aware of my surroundings when I read, although it is easy to get lost in the story, but I am also aware that there is a world inside my head, different for each book, with its own atmosphere and cast of characters. I can 'see' it. This is the wonder of reading.
It doesn't have to be a novel though. Non fiction too has its own 'feel' and within a few words, unless the words are written in so clumsy a way they interrupt the flow, I am transported.
I get this same feeling when I write, particularly fiction. After typing for a little while the screen in my mind begins to fill with pictures. It's a weird sensation, sitting in front of the computer typing away while simultaneously seeing things unfold in my head. Magical stuff indeed!
And that’s why we read for fun–I think the ability to live in the world of a book is what makes a reader. The (unfortunately increasing) percentage who say they don’t like reading may not have learned the trick, and have to rely on images on a screen for their entertainment.
Of course when you discover you can make up your own world, you become a writer. I love how the writing can take hold of you – how you can start writing a scene with just a vague idea in your head and then suddenly dialogue is writing itself! It’s such a gift.