Writers Must Be Readers

I hope that you, as a writer, do a LOT of reading!
I think there are three types of reading you should intentionally schedule into your life:

1. Craft books
2. Industry news/discussion
3. Recently published books in your genre

1. Craft books

I’m sure you already know you should read books that teach you how to write creatively. I don’t think I need to lay out a full argument of why you should do this, so I won’t waste your time. Here are a few books that I recommend:

• “Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish” by James Scott Bell.
• “Write Your Novel From the Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between” by James Scott Bell.
• “Super Structure: The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story” by James Scott Bell.
• “Elements of Fiction Writing – Conflict and Suspense” by James Scott Bell.

My suggested goal: 1 section a day; no more than one chapter a week. You need time to absorb and consider the advice, time to figure out how to apply it. I recommend you immediately do a quick editing pass based on what you learned in the one section/chapter. The sooner you apply it, the more likely you are to remember what you learned.

There are a LOT of craft books out there. Leave a comment with some of your favorite craft books!

2. Industry News and Discussion

I scan the headlines of quite a few blogs and email newsletters each day. I do not click through to read every article. Here are a few of the sources I scan:

• Publisher’s Weekly
  • PW Daily
  • Tip Sheet
  • Religion Bookline
• Digital Book World
• The Book Designer
• Standout Books
• Christian Retailing
• Marketing Christian Books

My suggested goal: 10 minutes a day. Again, analyze everything you read to see if you can immediately apply it to your writing or your marketing.

Leave a comment with one (or more) of the industry blogs or newsletters you follow!

3. Recently published books in your genre

This is different from reading for leisure. When reading for fun, go ahead and read any genre you choose. But reading for leisure should only take place AFTER you have read for skill development. You are trying to be a professional writer, so you must intentionally act like one.

Believe me, I know you are BUSY. And you barely have time to fit writing into your day, much less reading. BUT…

Can you imagine a paint artist who said they were too busy painting to go to art museums or to art galleries?
Can you imagine an executive chef who said they were too busy cooking to go to menu tastings of their competitors?
Can you imagine a sports team who said they were too busy training to analyze game play videos of their arch rival?

So, please! Stop the excuse that you are too busy writing to spend time reading. [Tweet this]

I am willing to assert that writers who don’t read in their genre will not improve as quickly as those who do. Writers who don’t read in their genre may never improve their craft. [Tweet this]

Think back to your youth. (Ugh, how long ago was that?) How did you learn about creative writing in English class in high school and college? Was it all just writing exercises from a technical viewpoint? No, you read. A lot. Recall those reading lists. You may have even had required reading during the summer to prepare for the next semester. I’d actually bet money that you never read a writing craft book in high school or college unless you majored in creative writing. Style manuals don’t count.

After you read, you analyzed. You learned about imagery, characterization, dialogue, and narration. Then you read another book and analyzed some more. You wrote essays comparing and contrasting this and that.

And MAYBE you did one or two writing exercises of your own per semester.

So, why would you think that now that you’re trying to be a professional writer that you could stop employing this method of strengthening your skills?

What should you read? Start with award winners and best-sellers. Here are a few lists to get you started.

• ACFW Carol Awards
• Christy Awards
• Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference Selah Awards
• Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Contest

Leave a comment with other lists of award winners that writers should examine!

When you have one of these books in hand, what should you be looking for? Make yourself a worksheet that includes these items:

• Point of View
• Voice
• Tension
• Dialogue
• Narrative
• Scene setting
• Flow of plot
• Imagery
• Characterization
• Sound bites (meme content)
• Plus anything else that you feel is a key element.

See if you can figure out what made the book win an award. How can you learn from that author and make your writing better?

Another benefit of reading in your genre is that you will be well-prepared to write the “Comparables” part of your book proposal. You will already know what is out there, because you read it. You will be able to tweak your story lines to be similar and yet unique because you know what is out there.

When evaluating an imprint or a press that you are considering working with, you should definitely read a couple of their recent releases in your genre. Does your work have a similar feel or is it so different that your book would not be a good fit? Is the editing done well? Do you like the book cover?

It really comes down to a matter of your priorities. If you want to improve your writing craft faster, I urge you to make reading a higher priority. As the meme says,

“If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.”

My suggested goal: Two genre books each month. This is about 3 chapters a day.

Leave a comment:

1. What are your favorite writing craft books?
2. What industry newsletters and blogs do you read?
3. What book did you most recently read in your genre?