Reading, For Writers

So many writers are constantly asking the question of how they can either become a writer or become a better writer and the answer is always the same. There are two components that play an equally important role - first, you must write as much as you can, and second you must read as much as you can. It should come as no surprise to any proficient author that reading is a core principle in the efforts that are required to become a good writer. Reading a lot will give you a greater command of your language, an ability to absorb the best methods of other writers, and a highly improved vocabulary. There is of course more to being a good writer than just simply reading but as a basic starting point you can’t beat simply writing and reading a whole bunch. That alone can do wonders for you in the way of improving your writing. It can teach you about different ways of writing things, how to further your story, about characters and dialogue, and most importantly it can give you an overall sense of how a book should flow and move and fit together.

It may become a matter of what to read as no author is alike and they all have different preferences, strengths and weaknesses that need to be improved or adjusted and selecting literature that focuses on the strengthening of certain areas can be an indispensable tool to an author. It can be difficult to know what to read though with such a wide selection of material available for consumption. The best way to begin is usually to start with what you enjoy the very most. Writers almost always write within the genre that they enjoy the very most so if you’re looking to learn the techniques and skills of those in your field you’ll want to begin by reading as much of their work as you can. With this in mind its never a bad idea to read from other sources as well as it can help you inject some freshness and ingenuity into your work that may not have been present otherwise because of all the similar work you were reading. Reading books from other genres can force you to step outside your bound and can help you mix and match techniques that work for you as well as force you to look at things with a new perspective and a new sense of creativity. It’s also a really good idea to read as much classic literature as you can as this is a completely indispensable education for the budding author. There’s a reason the classics are still around decades after they were written - they’re that good. Read the classics and try to learn the methods that so many writers of times past relied on to tell great stories, teach others, share their views of the world, and otherwise express themselves with the written word. There is absolutely no substitute for having a thorough background that includes much of the greatest literature of all time.

It’s also advisable that new writers make a point of reading the advice of writers who have gone before them and become successful at their chosen vocation. This kind of advice is so valuable and cannot be followed closely enough. Many successful authors have written books or small articles on how to become successful as a writer and it’s very wise to pay attention to these writings as they reveal a great deal about each writer and their processes, many of which can be repeated or duplicated so that younger writers can achieve similar effects in their writing and attempts at getting published. Often times these books are filled with ideas on everything from story ideas to plot to rounding out characters as well as helpful tips on things like dialogue, formatting, getting published, finding an agent, and even the overall lifestyle of a writer as well as the unique things that work for them. Every writer is different and so different methods will work for different people. Try out the advice of a few different authors that are making a living doing what they love and see if any of them don’t stand out especially well for you.  By exposing yourself to many different methods this way you increase the likelihood that you’ll find something that works well for you and may even make the difference between you being successful or not.

There is certainly no shortage of options when it comes to memoirs and advice books of this kind as authors for generations have been divulging the secrets of their craft and giving others helpful advice as to how to use them. One of the most well known and extremely useful books when it comes to writing instruction is On Writing by Stephen King, the classic horror novelist. He provides pages of instruction as well as helpful background information coupled with a personal memoir all tied together as on King can manage. He explains various aspects of what makes a good writer as well as ways to improve your writing along with thoughts on being published and the writers lifestyle. Many artists turn to Julia Camerons’ The Artists Way as a manual for opening up their creativity and allowing themselves to take their writing to a new depth. Bird by Bird written by Anne Lamott is a personal favorite when it comes to literary advice and methodology. Lamott is a great writer who taught courses for many years on writing and provides a wealth of knowledge and insight to the writing process and to what it really means to hold yourself as a writer and to embrace that lifestyle. Another good one is Guide To A Literary Life by Carolyn See who provides helpful steps to creating the literary life of your dreams with real and practical methods that can be applied every day to further pursue your dreams. All of these books are extremely helpful but they’re really the tip of the iceberg when it comes advice on writing and of course the first thing they all insist is that you must read constantly.

Follow those steps and soon you’ll be on your way and you’ll be more aware than anyone else as to why reading is so fundamentally important to writers.