Improve Your Writing By Reading Like a Fiend
Improve your writing by reading like a fiend!
“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
- Samuel Johnson
To write well, there are only two things you absolutely must do: read and write. Everything else will flow from these two activities, which are essentially yin and yang. Without each other, reading and writing cannot exist. They rely on one another, inform and direct one another. They are two parts of a greater whole.
How Does Reading Improve Your Writing?
Does what we read make our writing better? Can it make our writing worse?
What you read will inevitably inform what you write. If you want to write well, you must read well, and you must read widely. If you limit your reading to weak stories and books that are not well edited, your work will suffer. But if you balance reading the amateurish writing by also reading work that is brilliant, you’ll be able to see the difference, and you’ll better understand what constitutes excellence in the craft.
Writing is a complex and complicated skill. It’s impossible to teach the art of fine writing, but it is possible to learn it. However, this can only be achieved through reading. A well-read writer has a better handle on vocabulary, understands the nuances of language, and develops an appreciation for quality.
The human brain is like a sponge. We soak up everything that we observe and experience throughout our lives, and each thing we are exposed to becomes part of the very fiber of our beings. What we read is no exception. Our reading will have a critical influence on what we write. If we read work that is poorly structured, fraught with bad grammar, unclear, and peppered with typos, then that is the type of work we will produce.
The Effects and Pleasures of Reading Widely
“Read, read, read. Read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write.” - William Faulkner
It’s important to read technically adept writing so you don’t pick up bad grammar habits, but what about the rest? What about voice and style, word choice and sentence structure? What about story and organization? How does what we read influence the more subtle aspects of our writing?
The brain is like a sponge, and we are like mirrors. We reflect back into the world all that we have taken in. If you mostly read textbooks, your writing will be dry and informative. If you read torrid romance novels, your prose will tend toward lusty descriptions. Read the classics and your voice may take on an old-fashioned or mature tone. Read poetry and your work will be fluid and musical.
If you know exactly what kind of writer you want to be, you’re in luck. Your best bet is to read a lot within your favorite genre. Find authors that resonate with your sensibility and read all their books. At the same time, you don’t want to rope yourself off from experiencing a wide range of styles. Reading outside your chosen area of specialty will diversify and expand your skills, and you’ll be equipped to bring new techniques and methods into your craft. If you so choose, you’ll even be able to walk, or perhaps cross, genre lines.
The Eye of the Writer
To improve your writing, one of the most important skills that you can develop is the ability to read critically, and more specifically, to view what you read through writers’ goggles.
It’s easy to kick back and read a good novel. If you’re reading a compelling story, you’ll be intrigued, captivated, and entertained. Often, we relax so much when we’re reading that we enter a state of leisure. But to read with a writer’s eye means to read with awareness.
There are various things that a writer should observe in a written work — things that the average, non-writer might overlook. A seasoned writer should be able to catch typos, obviously. But a writer should also be able to pick up on the subtler elements of a work.
I’m always intrigued, for example, by character names. I don’t always pay close attention to them, but often I wonder how the author managed to choose such perfect monikers for the characters. Names fascinate me so deeply that I once wrote an entire essay analyzing the names of characters in a particular book and explaining the deeper meanings that the names implied.
Here are a few other aspects of writing that you might consider while you’re reading:
- As a writer, you should be able to follow the flow of a story. A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Can you pinpoint the transitions between these three phases?
- There’s something about a good book that inspires emotional responses from a reader. They actually become attached to the characters. When a writer reads, he or she should look for techniques that other authors use to engage the reader’s emotions.
- A story and its characters must progress. Can you identify how the author intertwined plot and character to move the plot forward and to force the characters to change and grow over the course of the story?
- Have you ever read a piece of writing and gotten lost or confused? If you read enough, you’ll see how important it is to make sure your work is well structured and organized in a logical way.
- Some of my favorite things to look for in stories and poems are themes, symbols, and recurring elements. These are the extra flourishes that enrich a piece of writing and give it deeper meaning.
This list could go on forever. Through reading, you’ll be exposed to every aspect of the craft: tension, pacing, description, dialogue, setting, voice, point-of-view, characterization, plot, theme, symbolism, and much more. However, the most important aspect you read for is the one that’s troubling you.
Reading to Improve Your Writing
Let’s say you write nonfiction but you have a really hard time organizing your material into digestible chunks. This is not uncommon. Often, when a person becomes an expert (which hopefully has occurred prior to you writing a book about any given subject), they see the subject matter so holistically that it becomes impossible to separate the various elements.
However, by reading plenty of nonfiction books, you will see how other writers have broken down massive amounts of information for easier consumption. You will also find some who have found clever ways of tying everything together, even though it’s all been separated.
If you always read with a mind to improve your writing, and if you pay special attention to those areas of your own writing that are giving you trouble, you’ll find that the literary canon will be your best teacher and mentor.
So, why are some would-be writers so averse to reading?
There’s no good argument against reading, and there is a book for everyone. I’ve long held the philosophy that people who don’t like to read just haven’t found the right book yet. And a writer who doesn’t read is an oxymoron.
Reading has been hailed by the greatest thinkers and leaders throughout history as the noblest of pursuits. Books are gateways to the imagination, fountains of knowledge, and a way for people to connect emotionally and intellectually.
A writer who doesn’t read is disconnected from his or her audience. Such a writer cannot possibly understand the experience that he or she is creating. So read, and to improve your writing, read like a fiend.
What are you reading right now? When you’re choosing books to improve your writing, do you stick with books about the craft of writing or do you look to the authors in your genre to teach and lead you? Leave a comment to discuss how reading informs your work.
Melissa Donovan is a website designer and copywriter. She writes fiction and poetry and is the founder and editor of Writing Forward, a blog packed with creative writing tips and ideas.
Melissa,
This is great advice. I’ve read plenty of books about the craft of writing, but I think it’s equally important to be familiar with the genre in which you’re writing. I also think one’s “voice” as a writer naturally develops in part from the voice of other writers one reads and admires. I am a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell, and I’ve found my own stories to be similar in tone and pace to his, even though I write more historical fantasy, where he writes pure historical fiction. I’ve also learned a ton about story structure by reading his novels and those by other writers, including J.K. Rowling, Michael Crichton and even Dan Brown (yes, some are critical of his prose, but he’s doing something hugely right with his stories, which I enjoy reading). I try to stick within my genre, but find it’s healthy to read one or two books a year outside my genre as well. My passion for reading probably gave rise to my passion for writing. I can’t imagine one being disconnected from the other.
I actually find it hard to stay inside my genre with reading because I have so many interests. I love literary fiction, but I am writing science fiction (which I also love, of course). I also think it’s important to watch films and TV shows in a genre. For example, a science fiction writer needs to have seen Star Trek and Star Wars (one of the reasons I’m making my way through all the Star Trek series). But ultimately, reading widely makes a writer’s stories fuller and richer.
That’s true, Melissa. The more you read, the better you write.
Well put!
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for that substantial article. I’m reading Wuthering Heights right now and can testify to the veracity (ahem, note the old-fashioned word!) of your observations re imbibing aspects of a favoured writer’s style. I’ve actually been wanting to use victorian-era words in my Christmas letters. Funny how that happens,eh?
Margaret
The same thing happens to me. If I get really into a book, I come away thinking in my head with that writer’s voice. It’s an odd phenomenon. I find that it passes in a couple of days.
Good medicine. They go hand in hand. Thanks for sharing the post.
Thanks Amber.
I so totally agree! This is fantastic advice, and so true! Books are the best mentors a writer can have. You develop such respect for certain authors who really help you find your own voice and discover who you are as a writer. Thank you!
I couldn’t agree more, Becci. Keep reading!
Thanks for your good advice. Now i’m reading ‘on the road’ by jack kerouac. It is one of my attempt to broaden my reading because my real interest is in victorian works. I find the choises of vocabularies in victorian sometime wouldn’t work for now but they are really enjoyable to read.
That’s true too – if you strictly read work that is historical or dated, it won’t expand your vocabulary for a contemporary setting. Great point!
I’d like to ask your opinion on a point that was made in this post. It was said that we should take note of the way that writers engage the audience’s emotions. However, every major writer that I have ever studied has been against identifying with the character; there is a consensus that point of great writing is not didactic or sentimental – it is to weave art. I think that Vladimir Nabokov states it the best. In his essay, “Good Readers and Good Writers,” he makes it clear that a major reader should stay “aloof”, so as to not make false connections with your life, causing misreading. Perrine, Frost, McCarthy all share similar sentiments.
Rather, they say that when reading, we should pay attention to style, syntax, tone – all the devices that a great writer uses to create art. Writers are Storytellers, a Teachers, and Enchanters. But, of the three, Nabokov’s enchanter is the only one that can claim the title of a major writer. I don’t deny that reading is great for writing. But, perhaps the elements that we should be studying are a bit different from what the majority of people do.
Well Alex, readers and writers all have different opinions on the matter. There are certainly two schools of thought with regards to making characters relatable or likable. Personally, I don’t want to stay “aloof” while reading. I want to become emotionally invested and feel like I know the characters, intimately. I want a story that is both an emotional (not sentimental) and a cerebral experience. I want to think and feel. In fact, that is how I gauge and judge any piece of art.
Having said that, I am not a fan of Nabokov. I might get attacked for saying this, but Lolita ranks among my least favorite novels. In many ways, it seemed like it was designed for shock and awe more than to relay an honest story. Most stories that I dislike feature characters who are distinctly unlikeable and plots that fail to engage me emotionally.
I’m a huge fan of Steinbeck and would point to Grapes of Wrath as the greatest novel ever written. The plot, characters, themes, setting, prose, and historical quality of the story gave it emotional power and intellectual appeal. There was a brutal and beautiful truth in the story, which I loved. I haven’t read it for some time, but I do remember thinking it was the finest, most perfect piece of literature I had ever read.
I absolutely appreciate and respect your thoughts on the matter. I don’t think either of us are right or wrong. We just have different tastes and look for different things in art and story. I’m glad that we have a chance to share our ideas about literature and storytelling and learn about different points of view. So thank you for sharing your perspective.
The very last sentence may be missing an “a”.
“So read, and to improve your writing, read like a fiend.”
Thanks, Dan. All fixed!
I write in Russian but I read books both in English and Russian. I try to read more Russian books now, because English ones won’t help me enrich vocabulary or improve my style that much. But there are so many interesting books in English – it’s very hard to resist the temptation
I studied foreign language but never became fluent. However, I felt that reading and writing in another language helped me immensely with English, particularly with understanding how a language is constructed (or how it evolves). It also expanded my vocabulary tremendously (in both languages). I’d say it’s all good
Thank you so much for the post Melissa, it was very beneficial!
Thanks! I’m glad you found it helpful.
Your article ranks one for “how reading improves writing” and for good reason too. I really enjoyed the article and it has answered many of my questions. The only thing which still confuses me is how reading books from a different genre can improve a person’s writing ability? Perhaps you could clarify this point. I have read it in many places but it still doesn’t make sense to me. Thanks!
Thanks Zeeshan! When you limit your reading to once genre, you risk falling into the trappings and formulas of that genre. By reading a wider variety, you can bring zeal and fresh ideas to any genre in which you write.
Very valid points made in this article! I happen to be one of those people who loves writing, but could care less about reading. For that reason, I would consider myself an intrigued English student, over a writer, any day. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t read. I want to say that it is: my easily-distractedness; the fact that I have a billion thoughts running through my head, as well, while I am reading; the fact that I have to read the same line over if the room is any louder than a pen dropping; the fact that I have to read the line over if I have no idea what the statement is attempting to say, that prolongs me from reading. Maybe I’m just not that into the books. Whatever it is, I need to put and end to it, and quick! Any suggestions? Furthermore, how do you know what’s your greatest asset or skill, as far as writing? How do you decide which genre consists of your greatest strength? While I love writing, I’ve only ever written free-writing journals, English papers or stories. Nothing more, nothing less. But I would love to expand far beyond the horizons! I am open to any comments or suggestions anyone is willing to leave. Thank you in advance.
In my experience, people who don’t like to read haven’t found the right books. A lot of people didn’t read as children, so their earliest experiences with literature and books were at school. Textbooks aside, much of the literature kids are forced to read is not very enticing, at least not for most of them. This puts a bad taste in their mouth for reading in general. But there’s a world of books out there. All you have to do is find the books that speak to you, the ones you can’t put down. If you can’t get into novels, try memoirs (I suspect you might like them because you keep a journal). You might find that you prefer short stories or essays, even blogs. Chances are, there’s something out there that you’ll enjoy reading.