Why do people get depressed with social media? Why don’t kids like to read? Of course part of what limits the enjoyment of both of these things is simply competition. Playing a video game or watching your favorite show is often more relaxing and engaging than reading a book or doomscrolling for many people. Some people even like to go outside. Freaks. That’s perfectly ok. Seriously, people should do what they like. But why is it that encouraging a kid to read is often akin to pulling teeth? I think about this a lot, and have finally come to a conclusion that I don’t think many people realize. The reason many kids don’t enjoy reading is the same reason that many adults get turned off with social media. It can be summed up with one simple word – didacticism. Totally made that word up, but you’ll see what I mean.

For some reason, everybody thinks they know a little something more than everyone else. There is a great deal FB advice out there, and it’s all total garbage. If you lived your life by the advice that your friends have posted on social media, you would be completely miserable, and so would they. It’s a form of accusation. Nobody likes being accused of everything all the time. On many social media platforms, that’s happening on a daily basis. People are trying to teach you a life lesson, often making you feel like you’re stupid. Guess what. We’re all stupid sometimes.

Okay, so what does this have to do with getting kids to read? Well, when you’re reading a book that’s always clubbing you over the head with some kind of social justice lesson or just telling you how to live in general, there’s no way you can enjoy the story. In fact, the story hqs become secondary, which is a total shame. Too many books are written to teach lessons instead of for the joy of telling a good narrative. It’s a total waste of everyone’s time, including the author. People, and kids are people too, don’t read books to be preached to by some person that they don’t know any better than Adam’s house cat.

Now, this doesn’t mean that your work as an author shouldn’t have meaning. It totally should. It should have problems and solutions, conflicts, and even themes. They should all be parts of the story weaved together to make the work more authentic and engaging. But there is a huge difference between well crafted story with poignant gravity and a thinly veiled diatribe.

Speaking of diatribes, this one is now over. You’re welcome.