Read to be a Writer

Here’s a very simple thing to remember: your connection with books will enhance your writing.

The better reader you are, the better your writing will be. Let’s take me as an example. I’m a fantasy writer who loves using supernatural and mythological references as I write. Where do you think I got these ideas from? From Percy Jackson I got my mythology. From Twilight came my first introduction into supernatural. From Harry Potter I learned that magic and the real world could exist next to each other.

The list goes on and on but it was only because I made it my mission to read these great books that I learned how to craft a fantasy novel. As you read, you’ll also observe the writers’ styles. As you reread a few times, you might even be able to choose certain things from the other writers that you would want to write like. Your style would evolve out of the authors you read.

Reading isn’t just about collecting ideas, either. It teaches you how stories work. You start noticing why a particular character feels real, why one scene makes you laugh while another makes you nervous, why a plot twist works, or why a certain sentence stays in your head long after you’ve finished the chapter. You might not consciously study these things the first time you read a book, but the more you read, the more you begin to notice them. Eventually, you start carrying those lessons into your own writing.

When you keep writing and rewriting, you’d experiment more and understand what works best for you and what you want to write. Your unique style will emerge through practice and constant editing.

But the most important thing you need to remember is that you can’t do these things without reading. If a writer claims that they don’t read, it can’t be true. (This isn’t from me. It’s from my professors.) Read in whatever genre you read and read widely until you can take everything you can from it to help you.

So if you want to write, read. Read the books you love, read the books you hate, read outside your genre, and read things you don’t think you would ever write yourself. You never know what you’ll take from them. Sometimes the book that influences your writing most isn’t the one that teaches you what to write, but the one that teaches you what kind of writer you want to become.