More Reading, Better Writing

Ever find yourself so focused on your writing that you've forgotten how to be a reader, too?

Yeah, I've been there, and after a good, long while, it's a problem—a big problem.

One of the things I actually remember from high school (truth be told, I've blocked most of it out) were the wise words of my A.P. English teacher Mr. Baye: "The best writers are readers, too, so I'd get going on Jane Eyre if I were you."

Side note: For whatever reason, I absolutely loathed Jane Eyre and put off reading it as long as I could. Maybe it's because Bronte's protagonist didn't quite measure up to those my favorite "Jane" came up with, (and everyone told me Bronte was similar, and in some cases, even better) or perhaps, it was my lame version of acting out. But whatever my problem with Jane was, the pages turned very, very slowly, and I hated every second of it.

Funny enough, I actually like the book now...guess I'm growing up.

Ok, tangent over—back to reading.

Sure, there's a million things vying for our time, and sometimes, it's difficult enough to find the time to pen our work in progress, let alone pick up a book. But if we're writing and not reading, it's simply too easy to get stuck in our own little world. Whatever I'm reading, whether it's good, bad or somewhere in between, it provides an opportunity for me to see what works well and what doesn't.

How does this particular writer develop his/her characters? Are the situations he/she creates believable? Why or why not? What is his/her voice like? What about word choice? Do they show not tell? (In fact, that's something I didn't really grasp‚in practice rather than theory‚until I read a few authors who committed this literary sin).

I don't know about you, but reading other people's work really revitalizes my writing. If I don't like what I'm reading, I make sure that whatever bugs me doesn't show up in my own writing. If there's something—a technique, an out-of-the-box way of describing something without a boatload of adjectives, a turn of phrase—I like, I write it down for future reference.

And have I mentioned that, above all, it's gotta be the funnest (yes, I said "funnest") research project around? I simply can't cram enough reading in my day.

However, since I'm pressed for time like everyone else on the planet, I make time for it in smaller increments—while waiting for a movie screening, dentist appointment, etc., right before bed, in place of watching a favorite TV show (that's what DVR is for, right?), basically whenever I can. Even if I only get through a couple of pages, that's certainly better than nothing—and I'm helping my writing career without even exerting much effort. Bonus!