Good Writers are Good Readers

"If you don't have time to read

you don't have the time

(or the tools)

to write."

~ author Stephen King

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times . . . "I don't have time to read."

To which I say, "Really? Do you have time to breathe? Because they're pretty much the same -- especially if you're a writer. Good writers read."

I'm not saying you need to devote hours a day to parking your rear on the couch for reading. Snatching bits here and there works out just as well, and as a bonus you don't feel as guilty for "wasting" time. But there are other benefits . . .

- reading gives you a sense of the possibilities of expanding your writing by seeing the other

  creativity that's out there in the realm of fiction

- it improves your written (and spoken) vocabulary and your writing will be the richer for it

- reading across different genres can spark your imagination in your chosen genre

- while the comparison game can be deadly, reading other authors can show you where

  you're on track with your own writing -- and where you're slipping off the rails

- it gives you ideas for your own plot and structure (remember, good artists copy but great

  artists steal)

Why you read or what you read isn't as important as

that

you read so don't get all bent out of shape about the details. Just read.