The Best Writing Advice I Have Received: Part 2

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If you read The Best Advice I Have Received: Part 1, you might have already deduced what Part 2 will be about.

Either way, I am happy to share my second nugget of advice. The second best advice I have received is…

Reading!

There’s a reason why writing programs have such a heavy dose of reading on their curriculum—it’s because it:

• Makes you a better writer because you can view well constructed stories and see what works.
• Improves your vocabulary (how supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!)
• Inspires your creativity.
• Provides motivation.

But, if you are anything like me, there are some misconceptions about reading while you write…

For me, my avoidance to reading was because 1) I feared that I would start to imitate whatever writer I was reading and my story would no longer be my own, and 2) writing already took so much of my time—why did I want to add another time consuming activity into my life? Preposterous!

To be honest, I was pretty stubborn with these beliefs—even after I heard multiple published authors talk about the importance of reading. Of course, I never let on that I didn’t believe what they were saying. I would nod and smile at their suggestion, but I was never swayed until I started picking up books again. I then discovered they were right!

Reading gives you a sense of how successful published novels are constructed. I am also constantly inspired by other writers and how they are able to create characters that the reader empathizes with. Each book I read is like my very own book report. The life of a writer, am I right?

I do understand that if you are just starting your writing career, you might have a similar fear that you will imitate the writer you are reading. If so, my suggestion is to read books outside of the genre you are writing. Or, try listening to audio books to hear how the prose sounds out loud.

Reading really is the secret ingredient to make your prose go to the next level. And, who knows…one day an aspiring writer might read your book to motivate them.