How Reading Leads to Better Writing

Reading is equally as important as writing. I’m not exaggerating. And I can’t tell you how many people I know who expect to become published, or who write regularly, but rarely or (gasp) never read. Well, why is it so important?

Let’s face it: You are not the first person to try and write a novel or book. (I hope that revelation was not a shock to you.) Others have done it, and very likely, others have done it better, some even better than you ever will, but that doesn’t mean your book can’t still be good or contribute something different. It is to say, however, that there is something to be learned from reading other writers’ work. What can you learn?

There’s loads to learn, and not just from the best books written. You’ll learn just as much from reading the toilet paper of the literary world as well. You can read the bad books to discover what not to do. And you’ll be able to pick up on it pretty easily. There are some books where you just know that you can do better, where the author decided to use passive voice, absurd dialogue denotations, and drew similes so disgusting you nearly hurled. But seeing these bad things teaches us something: the next time we do something one of these bad authors did, we’ll recognize it more readily and won’t be as likely to make that mistake again.

But the good books help, too. Of course you’ll learn loads from reading Charles Dickens and Earnest Hemingway, but it’s not all about literary fiction. In fact, it doesn’t have to be about literary fiction at all. Literary fiction is not the best, even if the critics might think so. You should read the best authors in the genre where you want your book published. Don’t let someone else tell you which types of books are better. You can’t write without reading, and if you don’t have time to read, don’t bother writing. You need to be able to compare your work to something, and your writing will never improve unless you read lots, at least (and I mean a minimum) of fifty books per year.

Reading is your most important tool when it comes to improving your writing. Someone who writes without reading is no better than someone who performs open heart surgery without going to school. Trust me, that’s not a hyperbolic comparison. Please read.

Don’t agree with me? Have something to contribute? Let me know in the comments.