Would you like to improve your vocabulary, fire your imagination, and learn about story structure and character development from an endless variety of authors?
Pick up/download a book!
READING is the most overlooked, undervalued activity for a writer—whether that writer is multi-published or just starting out.
Where should you start?
Read something that makes you laugh (or cry, or shout, or…).
Losing ourselves in words that stir the emotions tends to relax our writing muscles. Read in various genres. Soak in the talents of others. Simply take joy in reading. (Don’t we hope that someone will take joy in our work?)
Read something that makes you think.
In seconds, we can download the greatest literature of all time. We have the ability to peer over the shoulders of C.S. Lewis, Vance Havner, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, A.W.Tozer, and myriad others. What a privilege! (I get excited just thinking about it…)
Pouring over the words of others triggers creativity. We may want to carry certain ideas further or we may decide to take a different path.
Read something that makes you study.
Slow down. Analyze. Pull out passages that engage and ask why. What drew you in? What caused you to stumble? What “popped” you out of the story? Keep pen and paper handy to capture thoughts and ideas.
Read. Underline. Take notes.
Writer’s conferences and classes are indispensable—but they only happen a few times a year. The good news? We can learn from great writers at any time simply by picking up a book.
Want to be a great writer? Start by becoming a voracious reader!
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Love this post! I think often, we feel as though reading books is too much of a luxury. As if we should feel guilty to spend even a half hour out of our days to read.
But recently, I’ve learned that as an author, reading is a priority. Not only do I grow in my writing craft by reading, but I experience all of the points you mentioned. Reading a book is a luxury, yes–but in the writer’s life, it’s also a necessity. =)
Thanks for this reminder!
Tessa
http://www.tessaemilyhall.com
Thanks, Tessa! My favorite time to read is late at night until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer 🙂 Definitely a precious luxury!