Read to Write

It's an old sayings that has been drilled into students minds for years. Good writers read all the time. It sounds pretty arbitrary at first, but there is truly a ring of truth to it. There are several great reasons that reading helps in the creative process of being a good writer.

First of all, you have to be able to do research on what you are writing. Even if it is a work of fiction, you want to make sure it is believable. If you are writing a historical novel, you should know the politics and culture of the time period to make it more believable. If you are writing a science fiction story on time travel, a basic idea of quantum mechanics is a good idea. And if you are writing a story based in a real location you should know something about the environment and geography about the area.

Secondly, reading will make you a better writer by expanding your vocabulary and the way you write. You favorite authors style and sentence structure may influence the way you form your writing on the page. Inversely, a writer of work that you hate can infer on how you don't want to write.

Finally reading can simply aid you when you are stuck on an idea. Can't think of anything to write about? Maybe a news article will spark an idea. Or picking up a work from a certain genre that you enjoy may inspire you to write a piece in that style.

Not only can reading make your writing better, it can help to shape what kind of writer you want to be. Reading also will help to keep you mind working and imagination sharp. So having trouble writing any good books lately? Maybe try reading one and seeing where that takes you.

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