Fiction or not?...

By Grace Warrior | Guest Blog, Kids

Is reading fiction a waste of time?

I don’t think so. I understand that it is not practical like reading a “how-to” article or something like that. However, on the other hand, I think it’s good for you. Reading this genre helps you develop a good imagination and be a more compassionate person towards people in other circumstances.

I think fiction helps you become a better person because it helps you understand people. Lots of stories explain why people do what they do. We judge the characters right away but then we learn about them and maybe change our judgment. The lessons we learn from these stories can also transfer into real life and help us be more empathetic towards others.

Second, I think fiction also helps you understand yourself. Some stories help us see that we all have a good side and a dark side within. Fiction can also help us have a good imagination, and this is important in us being creative. Creativity helps solve problems, and this is a vital skill.

Let's be honest, loads of us spend a lot of time and money on our appearance but how much time and attention do we spend on reading or being appreciative of other people’s work.

With our lives getting busier and busier we only think about our goals and we are only happy when we achieve a certain milestone. Rather than being at peace with ourselves we get lost in our tasks and ignore the things around us. We get wrapped up in our everyday lives and this is another circumstance when fiction comes in handy. With millions of stories to transport you to another place, reading a fiction book can help you escape from your life and go somewhere completely different, even if only for a bit.

I love reading fiction, and I never think it is a waste of time. It may not be practical, like reading the newspaper, however it is a lot more fun and may also have messages hidden between the lines.

But everybody has different opinions, what do you think?

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Thank you so much to Grace Warrior aged 12 for this wonderfully insightful piece. Do you want to write a piece for our blog? Email over your submissions to [email protected] and we might pick yours to publish onto the website!