Re-post: Write to Read

You must be able to read in order to write – it most cases it doesn’t matter if you are actually reading the black and white print on paper, text on a computer screen or listening to an audio tape. A writer must keep his mind alive with words. I personally love the scene in “Short Circuit” where the robotic hero Johnny-5 is speed-scanning books (of ALL subjects) for “Input”. We need constant input. Words come in and words go out, it needs to be a constant flow.

Don’t limit your reading to a genre, all fiction, writing guides, technical manuals, newspapers, etc. Read them all. The writer who steadfastly refuses to read “those kinds of books” is limiting their imaginations. If you really think the book would be better without a certain theme, then use it as a writing exercise and RE-WRITE it the way you would like to see it written – if you didn’t like the ending, RE-WRITE it. Use every opportunity to grow as a writer, to expand your mind.

A true writer NEEDS to read. Every time you can see the world through someone else’s eyes, you develop your own abilities to visualize the world and pass it along to your own readers. Reading dialogue becomes another form of people watching and every writer needs to do that. You will hear new words and colloquialisms, you will learn about different cultures, beliefs and behaviors – in short, you will experience life at your fingertips. If we as writers are expected to “write what we know” then it is certainly helpful to know about life.

By all means read for enjoyment. Also read to critique. If you, as a reader, think the author might have made a passage stronger, more believable or flow smoother, then exercise away and re-write the section the way you think it should have read. Notice the way the author describes characters and settings – were you able to get a clear vision based on the author’s descriptions? Did you feel swept up in the action? Did you feel the emotions or did you have to be told how the character was feeling?

Don’t be afraid that you will “steal” a story, in reality there are only some many stories to be told and most of the art is in the telling. Using a very simplistic approach to the romance genre: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy wins girl, boy does something stupid and loses girl, boy proves himself and wins girl back, and they live happily ever after. Yet there are so many successful romance stories out there because the writers have found a way to tell the story in a unique way and in their own style. At the same time, if you read extensively, you have a solid idea what kinds of stories sell and how many times specific plot twists have been used.

Reading is also an excellent way to get past writer’s block. If you feel that your creativity is stymied and you are finding it difficult to put words to paper, jostle your mind a little with reading. Let your mind wander as you read, let it form pictures in your mind, get to know the characters. The more you allow your mind free reign with imagination, the sooner you will get those creative juices flowing. Get the juices flowing and the words will follow.


Writing exercise: Write a 1-to-3 paragraph review of a book, short story or even a movie and explain what you liked or didn’t like. Don’t include any spoilers (don’t give the story away). Convince your readers why they should or should not read/see it. Join a forum like http://www.goodreads.com/ and post your reviews (ESPECIALLY the good ones!)


Writing prompt: Describe all of the things that made you smile in the last 24-hours and explain why you smiled. Next, why not describe all of the things that annoyed you?


Challenge Assignment:  Congratulations!  You've just won an award... and now you need to make an acceptance speech. You have UP-TO 2 minutes to give this speech, not a second more. Write your acceptance speech for this big accomplishment, be sure to include the honor you were granted. Go!