This is Your Secret Weapon for Writing
By: Anisa Nasir
Tags: Creativity, Writing Tips, Reading, Writing, Writers Block

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” — Stephen King

Photo by Taylor Barber on Unsplash

It’s an easy concept to grasp — that we need to be reading more to get better at writing, but as we make our way down to a local bookstore for a new read, how many of us are actually paying attention when we lose ourselves in a story? We can learn a lot from an author’s writing style, the way they set the scene, the literal picture they paint for us as we revel in it. You may be asking, “What am I missing?” as you settle in to get as much reading done as you can, prioritizing your time, making room for your own storytelling. You may not be acknowledging the lessons as they pass you by, disguised by engaging prose and a gripping story. It’s time to look a little deeper.

Reading Isn’t a Pastime, It’s a Necessity

As much as we choose novels based on the content, how much the story may interest us, we have to remember to pay close attention to how the author creates his or her world for us to be a part of as we read. Personally, I would look past a lot of the details, consuming them, enjoying them without actually observing them. Have you ever read an excerpt from a book about something that should otherwise be very mundane, but it just sounds so magical when you read it? That’s the kind of message you should be sending as you write.

Your Choice of Book Influences Your Writing

Depending on what book you choose, you may very well start to see aspects of that genre present themselves in your writing as you progress. It can really fuel your creativity, challenge your writing style, and the more you acknowledge the effect of what you’re reading — the better off your work will be.

I try to stick to a similar genre when I’m working on a big project such as a novel because I don’t want to start formulating too many ideas that would captivate my attention elsewhere. I’m reading to learn, I’m reading to listen to what other authors have to say. It has an incredible effect on how you produce good flow and readability in your work.

If You’re Not Reading, You Should Be

I know it can be challenging to find time to read, it can even be tough for us to find time to write, but you will start to see a significant difference in your work if you not only read more but pay attention to the small details that make that read a good one. When you read a good chapter, take a few minutes to reflect on what made it so great. It could be details you haven’t even thought of before, simple small additions that make all the difference.

Use Your Secret Weapon to Beat Writer’s Block

We’ve all heard it before: “You have writer’s block? Take some time to read then,” and it can it work if we leave it at that, but if we really want it to have an effect on developing our writing, we have to not only consume it, we have to learn from it. When I’m suffering from a bad case of writer’s block, I spend a considerable amount of my time not only reading a book that has piqued my interest, but also acknowledging how I can take what I learn, and create something new.

Flip to a random page of the book sitting on your desk, find a phrase to build an entire story around, or a word that sparks a new piece of poetry. Your opportunities are endless if you let them be. Reading is your secret weapon, it’s what’s going to teach you to be a better writer. It’s what’s going to help you along when you find yourself so stuck, you start questioning if writing is for you.