Why Writers Should Also Read

So many people these days try to write without spending any time reading. It makes you wonder where they even got the inspiration to try. It is never, never okay to plagiarize the work of another author. That being said, there are several ways writers can benefit from reading the works of other practitioners of their craft.

1. Reading good writing inspires you. While not everything you read will spark your imagination, there will be some stories or poems that will light a fire under you. Suddenly you will feel the urge to follow in this author's footsteps and produce work that is just as satisfying to read.

2. Reading other people's work helps you to develop a healthy jealousy that pushes you to create better material. Sometimes you will read a story or article and notice that it is well written in many ways. If you begin to think that you would be happy if only you could write as well, it is the first step on that journey of self-improvement.

3. Reading a variety of levels of writing can show you where you stand. As you read, there will come times when you realize that you are reading something that is far beyond the level you are currently at in your writing skills. At other times, you may be surprised to find that you have discovered a writer who is at exactly your level. If they are succeeding with skills that are comparable with yours, it gives you hope and encouragement.

4. Frequent reading will develop your writing intuition. Intuition, after all, is simply compounded knowledge that is so ingrained into your personality that you no longer consciously think about it. You will pick up concepts like how to structure a story, how to develop a character, and how to create compelling dialogue. When you apply your intuition to your own experiences, you will produce unique works wrapped up in a tradition of excellent form.

5. If you read carefully, you may begin to see what works and what does not work. This is tricky since where one author fails another can succeed. The key to understanding is to figure out what makes an element of a story or article fail. Then you can avoid making similar mistakes.

6. Reading can help you develop your language skills. No grammar book would ever show you all the nuances of any language. As you read, you will refresh your memory of forgotten words and phrases. You will develop an ear for the rhythm of dialogue. You will be reminded of grammatical structures that just do not work. All in all, you will be a better writer, even if reading only serves to show you how language can be misused.

7. When you read, you want to write. That is, if you are a writer you will want to join in the fun and endeavor of expressing your thoughts and emotions. No writer can sit back and read day after day without feeling the pull of imagination urging them on to create new and better stories. One thing leads to another and soon you will have another project underway.

Besides all these reasons, consider this: if you want to join the community of authors, does it not make sense to become familiar with their works? Reading is alternately fun and heartbreaking, easy and complex, enlightening and maddening. Yet, in the end, reading can improve the works of virtually every writer.