Writers Must Be Readers

Is it true? That writers must be readers? What are your thoughts on this subject? Does it necessarily follow that a writer, a person with a vivid imagination and stories to tell, must also be a keen reader?

I have been a reader all my life; as far back as I can remember, I have had a book in my hand. I used to hop in the car as a teenager, in the passenger seat as my mum drove, and break out a book. No matter how short the journey. Even if we were just nipping to the shops! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the most exciting travelling companion, but trust me, I was having a good time!

Every room in my house has some form of bookshelf – I reckon I could open a second-hand bookstore and have it do well if I were willing to part with any of my treasures – which I’m not.

But, at one point in my life, this changed.

Why did I stop reading?

Now, let me clarify this. I have never ‘stopped reading’ full-stop. Books are, and have always been, incredibly important to me. But – and bear with me here – there was a brief time when picking up a book to get lost in scared me, so I slammed the brakes on, hard.

Why?

Because I was writing my own book. My first. Evergreen. (Feel free to click the link to see)

I had this weird fear on me that if I were to read someone else’s work, it would be to the detriment of my own, this beautiful thing that lived in my imagination that I was trying so hard to set onto paper. I was scared I would somehow forget my own literary voice, and start speaking that of another author. Perhaps several other authors! I worried my book would be a mish-mash of unintelligible gibberish. (Trust me, it isn’t. Or better still, check it out for yourself!) Imagine being English, trying to learn French, but spending all your time in the company of Spanish speakers. That’s sort of how it felt to me. Confusing? I thought so.

Silly, you say? Possibly. Ignorant? To a certain extent. Misguided? Definitely.

But I know I’m not the only one to forget that writers must also be readers. There are more of you out there. Hello, and welcome!

The thought process

Writing a book, especially that first one, is an incredibly personal project, a labour of love, a highly individual undertaking. When you start to realise the importance to the writer of that first work, how impossibly dear it is to them, an understanding of why the brain wants to protect that work becomes apparent.

Also to be remembered is the fact that the new writer is beset by worries and concerns that they are not good enough, not skilled enough, not experienced enough. Pick up a classic piece of literature when you are in that mind-space, and it may confirm you in that belief!

So what’s to be done about it, and how is this hurdle to be leaped? And, whilst we’re thinking of it, is it even that important that writers be readers?

Writers must be readers

In a word, yes.

It is important. Just as a person needs food to power their body, or a car requires fuel, a writer needs to feed on the work of other people. I fully believe it. It took me some time, but I came to my senses, and I am glad of it.

Why? Well, how many of us survive on one food type alone? Imagine if you had to survive only on apples, for instance. You might be the biggest apple fan in the entire world, but how long would it be before you got sick of the sight of them? And how many days would it be before your body began to complain at such a limited diet?

No, just as we eat a wide variety of foods to keep ourselves sustained, so do writers need to feast on the rich array of work lovingly set down by the pens of fellow authors. Think of the time and care they have put into providing this feast for us all, think of the wonders and delights to be found within their pages. Dwell on the possibilities of what you might learn, of the expansion of your vocabulary, of the rules of grammar that work their way into your mind and become second-nature when you spend most of your time with your nose in a book… All of this consequently makes writing so much easier.

Writers need to be readers

Please try not to worry, like I did, about losing your own voice in the choir of other works. Your brain remains your own; your way of writing, your individuality – none of that will disappear. But, and here’s an exciting thought, it may grow, and expand. It might actually improve in tone; your writing will get better, and you will sing all the stronger as you work those literary muscles.

So, do yourself a favour, make a pot of tea, drag out those dog-eared copies of old favourites, and give them another read! As you do so, I’m willing to bet you’ll be surprised at how much those beloved pages have shaped you into the writer you are today.

And, while you’re at it, actively pursue new adventures, delve deep into the mine of treasures and riches to be found in each bookstore, library, and e-reader. Immerse yourself, learn, and most of all, enjoy.

Then, write. All the best to you. I look forward to reading your masterpiece!