You can start by choosing books that interest you and that are at a level that is challenging but not too difficult for you to read. As you read, try to picture the scenes and events in your mind, and imagine how the characters might look and sound. Pay attention to the words and how they are used to create the story and convey emotions. Take your time and read at a pace that is comfortable for you.

You may want to start out with novellas, they are books that are longer then a short story but shorter then a novel. Another thing you could do is try sketching out characters, adding more to them as you discover more about them. There are stories that go extremely into detail as well, I don't like those kinds of books because for me they drag but they might be more your cup or tea.

Also you don't have to read just one book at a time. Some people do because they find reading multiple books overwhelming but for me once I get kinda bored with one book I move onto another to read for a while then come back.

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Audio books? I love audible - and it takes away some of the eye fatigue you can get starting out - if you get the book in written format and combine that with audio - I think it’ll help you get into reading a little easier

Do you like time travel books? I loved 'Time and Again' by Jack Finney. It does have some pictures scattered throughout, but it is predominantly text. Maybe instead of quitting cold turkey on the pictures, this will help wean you off of them.

Easy mi friend, find a manga really good, read all the chapters realized and then know you HAVE to jump to the novel (usually without any image) to go deeper in the story.

I've heard wonderful things about "Against the gods" so you may try to use that one to make this transition.

You can try to listen to audiobooks. That's what I did cause I having a hard time reading for long periods. While listening you can imagine what you heard. Also imagining comes with understanding what you read so the more you read and familiarize the words in novels, the easier you can imagine it.

Read the light novel version of a manga

For the more famous novels even if the books themselves don't have pictures, you can often find fanart of the characters and locations on the internet that might help you get a better handle on things.

Or find one that has a film/tv adaptation, watch that first and then read the book. I did this with the Power of One movie/book when I was a kid. Hated the book at first, but after seeing the film I went back and it was a totally different (and far superior) experience.

It may just be that you aren't used to it yet. If you don't read a lot, a large part of your brain is likely being used to decipher and understand the actual physical symbols printed on the page. You might not have enough brain power left to visualize the scenes and characters in your mind.

Sorry if that sounds mean, it has nothing to do with intelligence. It has to do with practice. Like when you first learned how to drive, you likely weren't staring out the window looking at the scenery. You were focused on making the car get to where you wanted it to. But after a few years of driving, I'd imagine you are able to drive without thinking much about it at all. And your brain is able to focus on the scenery, or the radio, because it isn't working very hard to drive the car.

Start with some young adult fiction. The Hobbit, Narnia, The Edge Chronicles, stuff like that. They have larger print, as well as some illustrations that might help you visualize the scenes. Plus they are really great stories!

Read out loud, like you're performing the book... for kids, maybe, or for the audio recording. Try acting out the dialogue, read fast and clipped when the action is going, slow down for the sad bits, and so on. Do a voice for each character. Rather than imagining visually, breathe life into the words themselves.

Hi there. This subject has been very popular in the past. Please use reddit search and/or check the /r/books/wiki/faq.