A friend who teaches writing was puzzling over a student who worked hard, but just “didn’t have it.” It turns out this student doesn’t read.
I’m astonished by people who wish to be writers, but don’t read as a rule. That would be like wanting to be a musician, but not listening to music, or wanting to be a chef, and not enjoying food. By reading, a writer develops an instinct for what works … and what doesn’t. And why write if one doesn’t enjoy reading? It’s incomprehensible to me.
I often advise people who want to write, to write what they read. Often this ruffles — my suspicion is that they read commercial or genre fiction, and imagine themselves above that, on a so-called higher literary plane. If that’s the case, then that is the type of book they should be reading.
As a writer, one begins to read differently: for pleasure (always), but also for craft. I note changes in point-of-view, challenging structures. (The book Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose is excellent, as is Jane Smiley‘s Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel.)
Right now I’m reading The Boys in the Trees, by Mary Swan, and I’m reading it in a reverie of awe. It’s a brilliant book: she’s a brilliant writer. As a writer myself, it’s thrilling— and yes, humbling, I admit— to encounter a work of such daring reach. I’m studying the way she’s able to change point-of-view, the heart-stopping structure (the main characters abruptly changing a third of the way in!), the nuanced, rich details. Just gorgeous. Bravo!
I couldn’t agree more. On one of my booksignings recently, a man told me he didn’t have time to read because he was writing so much. I had the same response you write about here: how can one write, and not read at the same time? I find reading the work of others actually encourages me to write more! Thanks for a great post.
Karen
Melissa, I hope you enjoy Reading Like a Writer. How wonderful for you to be able to pinpoint when you decided to become a writer. Always remember, on top of reading, that perseverance is key.
I just bought Reading Like a Writer over the weekend from Barnes & Noble – I’ve heard such great things about it that I can’t wait to dive in!
I have always been a reader and I can pinpoint the exact moment when I wanted to be a writer. I was reading Rosalind Laker’s The Smuggler’s Bride after school in my bedroom and I thought, “Hey, why don’t I try writing a story?” And a writer was born. :-)