I’m a bit of an oddball among writers, because I don’t condemn the television set. On the contrary, I think everyone, and especially serious writers, should watch TV, including TV comedies and dramas, because the audio/visual format provides a perspective on story that you can’t get from reading a novel. This flies in the face of the common rant, that TV is a scourge that should be eliminated from the entertainment landscape.

On the other hand, many people watch more TV and movies, and read less. And when they do read, they read non-fiction instead of fiction. Because “Reading is hard,” (which it really isn’t, not if you practice at it). Or “Novels are uninformative,” (which they aren’t; in fact, they give a perspective on life that you can’t get from a non-fiction book). The written word—and fiction in particular—provides benefits you can’t get from other media.

And in that vein, here are seven reasons that you— Yes, you, the guy there in the flowered shirt— You should read novels, short stories, and other fiction:

With this book, I did not order a proof copy, so I spent the last week nervous that it might not have come out as good as I expected. Here you get to see the actual, printed product at the same time I do.

(Plus, I read a little from the first chapter, tongue-tied goofs and all.)