More reading = more (and better) writing!
(Brad’s note: I’m still without internet access, hence the posting delay. I think we have the entire SBC tech support team working on our problem. It sounds like it has something to do with the hardware we use because they’ve tested just about everything else. They say we should be online today or tomorrow. If not, someone at SBC is going to die (totally kidding, please don’t call the police). Soooo, until I have regular internet access again, my postings will continue to be sporadic and the June newsletter will be delayed. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and if you want to call SBC and complain on my behalf, please do so)
Ever since I have finished up with school a couple of weeks
ago, I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands (when not looking for a job). To
fill a lot of that time, I started reading even more than I usually do.
What effect has this had on my writing?
Well, for one thing, I’ve been writing a lot more. Progress
on my current fiction project has been much more steady than it usually is and
I feel the quality is a lot better as well. I don’t know if it’s all in my
head, or if there really is a direct correlation between the amount one reads
and the amount one writes. The effect it has on me might be much different than
the effect it has on you, or even that strange dude sitting next to you.
But one thing is for certain. Good readers make good
writers. That is to say that if you are serious about your writing, you will
read a lot, and you will love to read. There’s really no way around it. Reading
amounts to studying the craft. And when I say "study" I don’t mean sitting
there with a pen and legal pad and taking notes on the author’s character and
plot development techniques (although if that’s your style, then go for it).
Here, "study" is mostly through osmosis. When you read enough, you will
automatically pick up certain things without even realizing it. You’ll develop
an "ear" for good writing.
The best non-writing example I can think of to make a
comparison to is, let’s say you’re a jazz musician. You play the saxophone and
practice it constantly with a goal of becoming one of the greats. Do you think
that listening to jazz and other musicians will help your own playing? Of
course it will! You’d be hard pressed to find a musician who doesn’t listen to
a lot of music.
Yet, as I’ve written in earlier posts, I have met people who
call themselves writers who say they don’t like to read a lot. That would be
laughable if it wasn’t so sad. That’s like being a musician that says he doesn’t like to listen to music. Or a chef who doesn’t like to eat. The examples can go on and on, but I’m sure you get my point. Writing is no different than any other art. It takes practice and you must read! There’s no way around it.
I hate to say it, but if you wanna be a writer, and you don’t like to read, then maybe you should find a different profession.
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- Slowing down in life will help your writing
- 5 Tips for Writing Stellar Non-Fiction!
- More on writing without an outline
- 6 Lessons the Grateful Dead can teach us about writing
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