Reading to Write

As a writer I am probably telling you nothing that you don't already know, but I will elaborate on what it takes to be a good writer. No matter what genre of writing you enjoy you have to read, read, read. There are so many writers that neglect this very important aspect of being a good writer.

I am not saying that writers are not good writers without having read the genre they like nor are they bad writers because they aren't avid readers. What I am saying is that there are so many publications and articles that I have read where it seems as though the writer is just writing without having put any research or character behind it. It doesn't matter whether it is a business article or a horror fiction novel; there has to be research, character, style, and voice in order to bring that specific publication alive.

Think about it, when you sit down and read something if it doesn't bring out some type of character and attraction you are bored before you finish the second paragraph and don't end up finishing the reading that you started. The only way you can attain the character, style, and voice in writing your specific topic or genre you have to read about it, which brings out my next point.

When you begin to read something, either it be a book or an article, you have to read it to write. This is a different style of reading all together. Normally, when someone reads a book or an article they are reading it for the joy, passion, suspense, thriller, whatever it be rather than reading it to learn how to write. You may ask, how do you read to write?

There is a very simple answer to that question and one that breaks traditional rules of reading. If you are an avid reader you can probably read several chapters or maybe even an entire book in a short period of time, because you read an entire page using peripheral vision and complete a page in about a minute. Yes you will definitely enjoy the story and perhaps be fully engaged, however, you are not learning what you read in order to write like they did.

Read the stories or books slower, much slower, and take in the style, voice, character, and emotions that the writer is trying to convey. Understanding what made you want to cry, laugh, scream, cuddle closer to a loved one, or even look for the lights from fear will make you even better at writing. What you are doing is learning to write through the feelings you have felt through the readings you love most. You will become a better writer for it.

When I started writing I did it for a hobby and never really read, because I felt that I was putting my heart into it and it sounded good to me so it would sound good to others. However, I learned quickly that my writing was just that, good to me, but rather boring to others because it did not intrigue them like it did me. Then I started reading and I mean reading a lot. I slowed down, took notes, and then summarized what I felt and why. Doing this with over two dozen books made me realize that I had so much more knowledge about how to write character, emotion, suspense, and horror.

Yes it is time consuming and may take away from leisure reading, but as a writer you will be even more powerful with your words than you ever imagined, bringing out the emotion in your readers, making them want more of what you have to offer. Just try it, doing nothing but read for one month and taking notes along the way. Once you have done this think about what you want to convey to your readers and put on paper your thoughts and emotions with style, voice, and character and let you readers tell you how it affected them. You will be a new writer with a character of your own.