Read Like a Child, Write Like a Human

What Daniel Pennac taught me about falling back in love with words.

Photo by Filipe T. Soares on Unsplash

In “The Rights of the Reader”, Daniel Pennac reminds us that reading is not a duty — it’s a joy.

Or at least, it should be.

But somewhere between school grades and productivity hacks, we lost that.

Reading Isn’t Homework

We treat reading as a chore.

We force ourselves through “important” books we don’t care about.

We judge ourselves for skipping pages or abandoning a novel halfway.

Pennac flips the script.

He gives readers rights:

• The right not to read.
• The right to skip pages.
• The right not to finish.
• The right to reread.
• The right to read anything.

This changes everything.

Reading becomes play again.

And when reading is playful, writing follows.

Read Everything. Write Better.

Want to write better?

Read more.

But not just the “classics.”

Read what makes you curious.

• Comics.
• Song lyrics.
• Fan fiction.
• Weird blogs.
• Emails from your grandma.

Writing isn’t about showing off.

It’s about showing up with something to say — and you can only do that if you’re feeding your brain with the things that light it up.

Reading Freely = Thinking Freely

Pennac argues that reading without pressure gives us something even bigger: freedom of thought.

Because when we read for ourselves — not for school, not for work, not to impress — we learn to connect ideas, empathize, and form opinions.

In short: we become more human.

Your relationship with reading should feel like friendship, not homework.

And like all good friendships, it grows when there’s room to explore, to laugh, to get bored, to come back later.

“We read in order to live more than one life.”

— Daniel Pennac

So go ahead — read what you love.

Skip the rest.

Reread the bits that feel like home.

And when you’re ready, write the story only you can tell.