Reading.
You might be wondering why we are talking about reading when we usually focus on writing. Well, as we have reminded our community so many times before, our favourite quote is this one from Pam Allyn:
“Reading is like breathing in and writing is like breathing out”
What we don’t always share though is the end of this quote: “and storytelling is what links both: it is the soul of literacy.”
This might be the perfect quote. What a wonderfully visual explanation of why reading is as important as writing, especially for writers.
What should you read?
We are often asked this question, and the honest answer is, it doesn’t matter. As a former primary school teacher parents used to come to me saying they couldn’t get their child to read. I used to tell them exactly the same thing I am going to tell you. It does’t matter what you read as long as you are reading. It could be the instructions for a recipe, the back of the cereal packet or a comic/magazine. All reading counts.
While this is true, there are definitely things that you can read which will have a bigger impact on your writing.
Here are our favourites:
- Books which are the same genre as the piece or book you are writing. If you want to write a self care book, read lots of self care books, if you are writing a memoir read some memoirs. By reading the genre you are wanting to write you will notice structural details, style and perhaps things that you don’t think work very well.
- Books about writing. There are so many brilliant books which can give you pointers about every aspect of writing, from routines to language or structure.
- Blogs and articles. Reading these short form articles can give you inspiration for your own witing and help you identify elements you might not have thought of in your own writing.
- The Classics. We’re not necessarily talking about Dickens and the Brontës – although they are definitely worth reading – but depending on your genre it might be more relevant to read modern classics and bestsellers. Think about the big names in your genre and read their books to find out what they are doing right.
- Whatever you fancy!
The more you read the more you will learn about writing. Whether it is unconsciously picking up on sentence structure, and spellings, or possible layouts for the genre you want to write.
Reading is beneficial for so many reasons. Not only will you learn tips for your writing, it also lowers your blood pressure and calms you, which is always going to allow the creative juices to flow more easily.
Is reading the only answer?
If you are wondering whether you should grab a book this evening, then the answer to that question is almost always yes. Don’t underestimate the value of audio books and even television and film though. All these are wonderful ways of consuming information and stories. Obviously you won’t pick up on spelling and the visual reading elements, but storytelling, structure, speech patterns and scene setting can all be learned by watching a film almost as effectively as reading a book. So if you are tired, don’t beat yourself up for putting your book down, choose a well crafted film, tv programme or audio book and enjoy.
What are you reading this week? What has it taught you about your writing?
Here are a couple of other blogs to help you read more effectively as a writer:
https://booksmithacademy.com/creativity-trap/
https://booksmithacademy.com/reading-like-a-writer/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/27/reading-like-a-writer-francine-prose-review
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