Stephen King in his book, ‘On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft’ wrote that, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” All authors should be compulsive readers. Reading is an integral part of becoming a writer. It is hard to imagine a writer who does not read.

Why You Should Read Books by Different Authors?

  • Reading can inspire a writer and help them connect with other writers.
  • Reading can inspire an author to write.
  • Reading helps writer in learning the structures and techniques of writing.
  • Reading different books by different authors will give the writer a better sense of how to craft stories.
  • Reading a simple sentence can sometimes create a powerful emotion in the reader. A writer can use that emotion as a muse to create a wonderful story.
  • Reading teaches how to write.

Books are a treasure trove of inspiration. When you read a book by an author you admire, you don’t just read the book, you try to understand the meaning and thoughts of the author who wrote it and how he/she wrote it. It shows us that there are many different possible ways to use language. Everyone knows that reading increases vocabulary. Each writer has their own remarkable way of using languages and crafting sentences that are supple and rhythmic. In every different book by different authors you will be able to find an infinite vocabulary and different style of writing. Reading lets its readers’ imagination run free. This imagination is much-needed for writing. Reading teaches how to make decisions about plot and how to build characters. While there are good books, there are bad books as well. These bad books will also be able to teach you about plots and characters and most importantly they will help you understand what resonates with and what does not.

There is research that suggests that reading literary fiction enhances our understanding of others. Reading books gives readers and helps the writers understand empathy deeper. It is important while writing to understand human conditions and empathize, and reading can help with this. Books contain a diversity of cultures and history. If you want to write a periodic drama or historical fiction, books are the best way to go back in time and do the research on the subject. There are books that can take the reader to 1830s in Victorian Era to Paris in the 1920s.

The more you read, the more you expose yourself to a wide range of possibilities of writing. Reading helps in reshaping the way you write. If you are a writer and are under stress, reading will help reduce your stress and keep your brain active. Reading books is the best way to escape reality when you need a break from writing. If a writer is facing writer’s block then maybe reading a book written by someone else can help you (writer) to escape and different world and discover inspiration there. Writing is an act of solitary. Reading different books can increase your ability to be alone with your thoughts. It will remind you why you want to be a writer. Reading different books will encourage writers to take risks with their writing and help improve story telling skills. 

 A writer should read books because all the great authors are voracious readers. Authors like Harper Lee, Henry Miller, Maya Angelou, Philip Roth, David Foster Wallace, Stephen King, Virginia Woolf and many other great authors have said that reading is a big part of writing. If a writer is a reader then he or she knows what they as a reader want and that helps in creating a wonderful story they want. Reading will help you become the writer you aspire to be. To be a great writer, you have to read.

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