DYLAN LANDIS: Well, reading more-- when you read, you step into the experience of another person. You can't do that in real life. You can never know what someone else is feeling or thinking, even if they try to explain it to you. But when you read, you can totally inhabit another human being. It's the only way you can do that. What a gift that is.
You could inhabit someone in prison. You could inhabit someone with magical powers. You could inhabit a six-year-old boy with autism. You could inhabit almost anybody. That's a very rare gift, and it completely expands your world. I don't know why anybody would not seize that opportunity. I think it's just fantastic thing to do.
And if you can do that without judging the character but instead thinking, what do you think of the book, or what do you think of the writing, but not, do I like the character-- it's almost not the point. It's more like, what do I think of the experience of having inhabited that character? Did it widen my world? Did it take me someplace I've never been?
And in terms of writing, I think you write because it helps you notice the world around you in a more detailed way. Just write what you see, what you hear. Think about the five senses, what you smell. It's not a diary. It's a notebook.