"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” – Stephen King
If there’s one thing that accomplished, including celebrity, writers have in common when it comes to advice is the recommendation to read plenty of books. You should be writing as much as you’re reading, if not more reading than writing, and though it may seem like a rather simplistic idea it is good advice. After all, nobody would expect a Michelin star chef to not eat good food or a rap artist to not listen to any music. Likewise, a writer cannot expect to write well without exploring the territory that surrounds them. If you refuse to read a book but insist that you will write something better, or at least on par, with those already published then who the hell do you think you are? There can be a tendency with some people where once they enter the clique of being a ‘writer’ or even, an ‘author’ then they are no longer required to mingle with the common people; reading their paperbacks and appreciating good stories because they can’t think up anything better themselves. Don’t be like this, and if you are already, then stop it. Not for me, or for every other writer who takes the Socrates type stance of ‘I know that I know nothing’ but for you, because you’re impeding your own artistic ability by being a jerk.
Now, I admit,
unless you are strongly dedicated to the task of reading then it can be
difficult to find the time to do so. As we continue to move everything about
our lives, from our banks to our food shopping to our social lives, onto the
computer it seems as though our reading is taking the same route. As a society
we appear to be reading less and less in the way of actual books and novels
and, it kind of makes sense, we’re in an internet-led world now. Provided you’re
in one of these countries, that is. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be reading so much stuff on the
internet. After all, it’s better to be reading articles, news stories and
forums than not reading at all. Although this reminds me of a strange ‘study’ I
read in a newspaper when I was a teenager (likely the Daily Mail) which
basically said that because teenagers are now texting a lot then we’re creating
a generation of writers. The article was written in defense of people saying
that today’s youth are becoming gradually illiterate when it comes to their writing
ability. So, no, I’m not saying that
texting is writing and that reading tweets or forums is real reading. Rather, I
mean that reading articles on Cracked or other people’s blogs and such forth is
doing no harm as they’re actual words, in sentences, with some intention to
educate, enlighten, amuse or share information. But still, despite all of this
being a big tick in the ‘you’re not a complete loss’ box there are actual
benefits to picking up and reading a novel. I won’t even mention E-books here,
it’s a book, I don’t like it but it’s a book so I’ll live with it.
So, the
benefits of reading a novel when it comes to your writing ability? I’ve read
that how reading will ‘broaden your vocabulary’ is really quite an important
feature of book-reading but, though it certainly has many numerous benefits, a
large vocabulary doesn’t technically mean you can write it all down in a format
that people want to read. Combined with other writing abilities, a larger
vocabulary essentially allows you to express what you’re thinking in a more
astute way. If you’re continually grappling around for the right words then
this will impede your ability to write and everything may just come up as
though it were authored by an eleven year old. If you’ve got a good idea but
not the words to express it you will rather promptly hit a brick wall, so
expand your vocabulary in whichever way you find most efficient. Some people will
do this by reading, some by trawling through a thesaurus or a dictionary.
Eminem; Marshal Mathers, admits that he often just reads the dictionary in
order to improve his vocabulary. For Mathers, the ability to connect words
together with very limited thinking space means that he needs to know all the possible
options already. Writing is very similar, although we don’t have to do it at
the drop of a hat in front of a large audience of people.
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“And she, didn’t stop running ‘till she heard the sound of a
breaking and a cracking coming up from the ground”
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Ok so, novels
have lots of words in them which through constant exposure are likely to expand
your vocabulary. We know this, but what novels have that other forms of writing
don’t have is a story, a plotline, character development, narrative structures,
a means of developing tension, anticipation, excitement, and other general emotions.
In short, novels already contain everything you want to learn how to do in your
own book, the only difference is is that in other people’s novels they are in a
different writer’s style to yours. I advocate a writer finds their own style of
writing rather than copying one, otherwise what’s the point of having your own
book, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be continually learning. By reading you’re able to experience the tools
and templates other writers have used that made their book a success and,
again, the constant exposure will rub off on you. If you don’t read then you
don’t know what success looks and feels like; you won’t know how to generate
the appropriate emotions through your words that you want your audience to
feel. Maybe you don’t know what realistic dialogue looks like. By checking
around through several books you can get a feel for what dialogue is actually
like when slotted between pages. There’s a great deal that can be learned from
books and if you’re not usually a great lover of books then you can instead
view them in this way; as tools, templates and instructions on how to achieve
certain things in written format. It’s rather unimaginative and non-romantic
but we’re not all the same and some people are very practical when it comes to
their own work.
This brings
us onto our next beneficial aspect of reading; the romantic and imaginative
side of it all. Reading is a great way to trigger the creative streak inside
all of us but those who enjoy writing are going to experience that creativity
in relation to their writing, rather unsurprisingly. When you read you’ll come
across little bits here and there that may prompt you into developing your own
scenes, outcomes and perhaps even an entire story based on something small you
read elsewhere. If you’re procrastinating or stuck on where to go next with your
book then reading has the ability to unlock that writer’s block and remind you
of why you love books and writing. It may even inspire you back over to your novel
to continue with the story as reading something from an accomplished writer can
not only be encouraging but it can cause you to apply it to your own book. If you
find something in a book that sounds similar to something in your own novel
then, rather than it depressing you, you can go on to mentally develop it
further. Rather than copying what the author did you may go off down another
road and use your own characters instead, maybe think about how they would be
dealing with that situation or scene. Quite quickly, writer’s block is over. Reading
other novels is a great means to unlock your imagination and inspire yourself
as quite often writer’s block is from a lack of ideas on where to go from here.
If you find it hard
to find time for reading then try short stories and poems. If you don’t write
poems then it doesn’t matter as they still contain a means of enlightening and
inspiring, though admittedly you won’t get much out of them in terms of
literacy tools. Short stories then, are perfect, you can often by compilations
of short stories that all revolve around a related topic. You also shouldn’t
feel restricted to the genre that you write for; if you write fantasy, read
science fiction, romance or thriller. It doesn’t matter as it is the new
settings and different mechanisms that will make your book interesting. Also,
good books are good books and they’re not restricted by the style or genre. If anything,
look at a vast range of different but successful works and see what makes
