This may seem elementary, but it has often been said that a good writer needs to be a good reader first.
Reading helps to free your creativity. As you become absorbed in what you are reading you let go of the constraints that stifle your imagination. If you are reading fiction, or any story that gives you entrance into another place or time; it makes it easy for you to create someplace. Study the amount of place description the author uses and decide if that is enough or too much for your taste.
Reading will help you focus on your genre. You should begin by reading the type of books you like to read and familiarize yourself with the things that work. While you are reading notice what gets your emotions involved and what you think of each character. What kinds of descriptions help you “see” the characters and how believable is the dialogue? See what works and what doesn’t so that you have a good idea of how to hone your own writing. Moving on to other genres will help you get more experience.
Reading will familiarize you with word usage and introduce new vocabulary. The more pieces you read by different writers the more you will be exposed to different word patterns, regional dialects and idiom usage.
Expanding your vocabulary will help you enjoy reading and communicate better with your writing. The English language has many words that use the same roots; each root has its own meaning which can give you clues to the word’s meaning.
Following are some of the most commonly used root-words and their meanings, one sample is provided for each – as you read each one, try to think of as many more words you can think of and see how well the root-meaning fits:
rupt = broke (rupture)
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ject = throw (eject)
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auto = self (automatic)
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cardio = heart (cardiac)
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mal = bad (malady)
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bene = good (benefit)
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omni = all (omnipotent)
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vis = see (visual)
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duc = lead (conduct)
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phon = sound (phonetics)
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audi – sound (audio)
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port = carry (portable)
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terr = earth (terrain)
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bio = life (biology)
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demo = people (democracy)
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pyro = fire (pyrotechnics)
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man = hand (manual)
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mono = one (monolithic)
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log = thought (logic)
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scrib = write (scribe)
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vac = empty (vacuum)
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sens = feel (sensory)
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photo = light (photograph)
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mis, mit = send (transmit)
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ast = star (astronomy)
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zoo = animal (zoology)
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derm = skin (epidermis)
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magni = big (magnify)
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bio = life (biology)
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therm = heat (thermal)
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Writing Exercise: Your protagonist discovers that he/she is the “reason” that the antagonist is so mean or bitter. Your protagonist writes a letter of apology to the antagonist or his/her victims – what would the letter say?
Writing prompt: List the major characters in the last two or three books you read; imagine you are running a dating service and pair each character up with characters from a different book. List the qualities of each pair that you think will go well together.
