Pen to Paper

Yes, we read for pleasure. We read to escape. But we also read to feel human. We read to feel less lonely. Have you ever read a line in a novel and thought Yes, that is exactly it. That is exactly how I feel but I could never have expressed it so perfectly? That is what I love about reading novels. The written word has the power to make us all feel less alone. Words have the power of touching our soul. For me, reading a passage and feeling like the writer is speaking directly to me—that he or she has had the same experience and expressed it so perfectly—is the greatest of pleasures.

We also read novels to understand different perspectives. Great writers have the ability to make us feel like we have experienced things we never have and most likely never will. Stories transport us to different times, different places, different cultures. Nonfiction gives us the facts; history. But novels give us the thoughts and emotions. Novels call on us to explore our humanity—in its vast forms. Words connect us all.