Stephen King has famously said: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”
And who are we to argue?
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of getting our writing done, the busyness of upcoming holidays, or the general chaos of everyday life. Reading can be seen as a luxury and not very important.
Except maybe that’s actually wrong because maybe reading is important after all. Very important.
Stephen King isn’t the only author to extol the value of reading, after all. Countless writers point to reading as an inescapable part of their lives and their work.
William Faulkner put it this way: “Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master.”
Reading has many benefits.
Reading can be many different things.
Reading can be a way to learn. It can also be a way to process and experience the beauty and power of language. Reading can be a communal and shared experience, such as a book group or a way to connect with friends, or it can be a form of companionship when we are alone. Reading can be a way to better understand others and the world around us and it can also provide an escape from that very same world.
Reading isn’t optional.
Stephen King and others have proclaimed the importance of reading and we’ve just gone over a few of its many benefits.
But it’s not always easy.
Even if we love to read, sometimes it can honestly be hard to find the time. It can be hard to focus. Recognizing that reading is important, that is isn’t just a “guilty pleasure” or selfish, can help us make the effort to make it happen.
Reading different things.
Honestly I think everyone reads a bit differently and everyone gets different things out of it! Maybe that’s part of the magic.
Recently I’ve been realizing that by reading different types of books I can gain different things.
Reading Non-Fiction
Reading non-fiction books with the intent to learn is such an amazing resource. Sometimes I forget what sheer WEALTH we have available to us in terms of information, information that used to be so much harder to access and even today is a precious commodity.
We can learn so much by reading books by people who know more than we do. Sometimes we like to think we know it all or can figure it out on our own, but a bit of guidance (and humility!) can go a long way.
This applies to writing as well as to life in general- books are a way to broaden our horizons and increase our understanding of life and the world.
(Check out my resources page for books on writing and stay tuned for more book recommendations soon!)
Reading the “Greats”
There are plenty of required reading lists and “classics” that have continued to be recommended over the years. And whether we like the books or not, there can be some value in reading them.
We can try to identify what it is about them that people resonate with or why they have stood the test of time, and we can identify what we like or don’t like. Are there particular words or styles to the writing that are different than what we see in more modern writing? If nothing else, reading classic literature can give us a broader understanding of the backdrop of the written story.
Reading in Genre
Reading within our own genre is important! Obviously we can (and should) read anything at all, but if we write fantasy then we should also be reading fantasy. If we write crime dramas we should be reading crime dramas. We should be familiar with the big names in our chosen genre and be familiar with trends over the years.
This helps us know what has been done (either well or poorly) as well as the general expectations, tropes, and what has been done too many times. By being familiar with our own genre we can make our own stories stronger.
Reading Old Favorites
What were your favorite stories as a child? Why? Rereading them now can be an enjoyable and interesting experience where we can look back and see what it was that made these books magical for us.
We can also see how our perspectives have maybe changed. If a book has stood the test of time so that you still enjoy it, what makes it stand out from the rest?
Reading for Fun
When it comes down to it, there really is no right or wrong way to read so long as it’s happening!!
Read comic books, picture books, and paperbacks you picked up at the grocery store or snagged at the swap shop. Read a magazine. Read something without caring what other people think about it but just because you want to.
We will never read all the books in the world and none of us have time for books we don’t like. So I say just read whatever strikes your fancy and don’t you dare feel guilty about it!
Reading is a form of self-care and it’s also a way of feeding our creative gardens so that we can flourish.
Reading is a gift and our lives and our writing will be better because of it.
So take some time for reading this week and stay tuned for my holiday reading list coming soon! 🙂
One thought on “Reading Well for Writers”
Comments are closed.