Aug 8, 200843
The Tremendous Importance of Reading for Writers, What Leo’s Reading, and an Ask the Readers
Photo courtesy of shaycam.
If I am asked for my best advice for newer writers, I always respond with two things they absolutely must do:
- Write a lot.
- Read a lot.
If you do those two things, you won’t be able to help getting better. Of course, there’s more to writing than that, but if you’re looking for a simple writing-improvement program, that’s it.
I’d like to talk about the second point today — reading a lot. Why does it matter? Because by reading other writers, you start to gain a greater command of the language, of vocabulary, of the limits of writing and art, of techniques and craft, of poetry and imagination. Read for content, read for themes, and read for techniques.
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