Fiction Reading For Software Engineers

My favorite line in the Harry Potter movies is zombie Dumbledore towards the end:

Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean that it’s not real?

Software engineering is primarily a people problem. Software engineering also happens entirely in your head.

When you read good fiction books you begin to build the muscle of creating a good story in your head. You can build out worlds and mental models more easily. Same for playing games like D&D.

Bring this skill and habit to engineering in how you think and communicate the non-fiction reality in terms that pulls others in and captures their imagination and in the end creates clarity and cohesion.