MUST Writers Read?

I saw a post on Twitter today that rocked me. Enough that I abandoned the blog post I had nearly finished in order to process why I was shaken by the idea.

Ready for it?

My knee-jerk reaction was “Of course writers must read” which was immediately followed by, “But why?”

Before you suggest that the original poster was maybe talking about poetry or blog posts or technical toaster user manuals, no. The context of this post was long-form fiction a.k.a. novels.

Then Other Writers Weighed in and…

Okay, okay, so it’s just one person’s opinion, right? Well, no.

The thread opened up a bunch of drama, with people from the #writingcommunity on both sides of the issue.

Meaning there are many writers who agreed with the post.

Their reasons were varied; lack of time, burnout, ADHD, disability… but then there were also people who stated they didn’t read because there were no comps to the books they were writing. Or the worst, because they don’t like to read.

This discussion wasn’t only being had on Twitter. I found similar sentiments from writers on Quora and Reddit.

It’s easy to open Google and find many, many resources and listicles about why you should read if you are a writer. And most of these articles quote King.

“You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true. If I had a nickel for every person who ever told me he/she wanted to become a writer but “didn’t have time to read,” I could buy myself a pretty good steak dinner. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.

-Stephen King, On Writing

*Most* of us are Readers before we are Writers

I may be showing my age here, but I grew up in an era where story = book. In my house, when we got in trouble, our punishment was to sit on the couch. No tv, phones, computer, radio… and certainly no books. By the time I was 12, I’d torn through most of my mother’s books and had attempted to write at least a half-dozen novels before I hit high school.

However, with the amazing content being produced by studios today, I have noticed many people inspired to write because they want to wallow in the worlds spun up in their favorite movies and television shows. This is not me throwing shade or disparaging fan fic writers at all. As E.L. James (author of the Fifty Shades of Grey) proved, fan fiction can lead to fiction that has real impact—both monetary and social.

So, if I’m ready to cheer on any reason people have for writing, why did the idea of writers who don’t want to read bother me so much?

Reading is Important

I believe this. The Twitter thread made me realize this is one of my core beliefs.

I read for enjoyment. To unpack how another author put together a compelling plot, or character, or a scene written with a power to rip my heart out. Often I read so I can recognize the difference between a bad, good, and great book. I read the hottest new books to understand what the market wants today. I also read the classics that have remained popular to distill what makes them universal and relevant to modern audiences.

Often, I read to be inspired, and to improve my understanding of other cultures. To experience lives and hobbies and choices I don’t have to face. I read so I can take part in conversations with other readers, and to better understand pop culture references. Reading helps me process emotions, empathize with people different from me, and travel through time and space.

I read to raise my aspirations for my writing, and, at the heart of it, I read to support other authors. 

So, MUST writers read?

When I brought up this topic with my husband, he thought the original poster’s thread had merit. (gasp)

Really, picture it. He’s standing in the doorway to my office, and his eyes are wandering around the WALL of bookshelves overflowing with novels, memoirs, writing craft books, hobby books, and reference materials. And he agrees with the premise that writers don’t need to read.

Please pause for my reaction.

But he redeemed himself (sort of) by volunteering it wouldn’t be “good” writing.

This caused that “a ha!” moment and I realized not all writers write for an audience. Some people write for their own pleasure—for the pure enjoyment of riding the creative flow. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

However, for writers who are hoping to find an agent, editor, and eventually an audience (like the OP of the tweet above), I still believe reading is a must. While film is a great venue for storytelling, movies and television shows cannot show you how to translate the images, moods, sounds, and emotions that the visual media evokes from the screen onto the page.

If writers don’t read, they risk their readers noticing bungled genre conventions and mishandled tropes. Readers eviscerate books with poor pacing, lackluster characters, and too much (or too little) exposition and detail. And reviewers will certainly butcher books with deus ex machina-driven endings.

Do you believe reading is important for writers?

Header Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash