A writer reads, always

By Kris

Dana's recent blog, " We are imagining car accidents," which mentioned some writing-related movies, made me think of one of my own favorites, Throw Mama from the Train. In it, Billy Crystal's blocked-writer/writing instructor-character tells his students, "A writer writes, always."

As far as I'm concerned, smart writers always read, too.

I love books, and have since I was a tiny tot. I love the way they feel in my hand, their comfortable weight when they rest against my tummy when I read in bed…I love the way they look on shelves…I even love how they smell, whether it's that new-paper smell, or old. Mostly, though, I love the way reading transports me to other worlds, where new adventures and unexpected truths await me.

But even if I didn't like to read, I hope I'd see the benefit to writers in reading. When writers read — especially in the genre in which they hope to write, but really, all writing — so much just seeps into their unconscious minds. They learn about pacing by sensing the pace of different books. They learn to handle clues by both the clues they catch while reading, and those they fail to spot. When they hit a snag in their own works in progress, by having read extensively, they have immediate recall of how others have overcome that particular obstacle.

And best of all, this knowledge filters in automatically. It's a top-notch course in writing, and you don't have to do anything special, beyond reading for pleasure, to amass it all.

In On Writing, Stephen King wrote, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around those two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut…I don't read in order to study the craft. I read because I like to read…Yet there is a learning process going on. Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach you than the good ones."

It's not a coincidence that published writers are often strong readers; there's a connection there. With the many published authors who appear at my store, I'm continually impressed by the reading depth most display.

Just this month, I was struck by two appearing authors. One was mystery author, Mark Coggins, whose latest title is Runoff. Beyond the many examples from mystery and other novels he cited in the course of the writing workshop he presented, in the Q&A session, Mark was also able to draw on numerous other examples of how good writers handled tricky problems. I was so impressed by the breadth of examples he was able to call up at a moment's notice. That's what a good reading background allows a writer to draw on on. You can't fake it.

Another example of a reading author was international bestselling historical-fantasy author Diana Gabaldon. Diana has appeared with us a number of times, and she always mentions the books she's read, and continually touts reading for others who hope to achieve her enviable success.

And if I stretched beyond December, I could cite countless authors who proudly and wisely identify themselves as readers. Look at how many new book-related blogs my sister Femmes have written.

But a significant number of aspiring writers that I encounter — either through my store or my writing classes — haven't cracked the cover of a book since high school. Don't get me wrong — many do see the value of reading, but many of those who hope to be published someday don't seem to have a clue when it comes to the best way to learn from those whodunit.

My husband finds this astounding. He's a musician, and he insists that wherever they are on the music continuum, aspiring musicians always listen to music so they can learn from the greats. He regards it as astonishing that so many writers don't avail themselves of the equivalent resource. 

I wonder why they don't. Is it a lack of time? Or that they've never developed the reading habit? But if they aren't devoted readers, and don't have an interest in books, why would they want to be writers? Writing is hard work. Harder still when you have only a vague awareness of what the outcome should be like.

For me, there's no debate. I can't imagine a life without books. This writer reads, always. But I also must be pretty careful with my time. Anything that promises to provide me with thrilling vicarious adventures and to improve my writing without a bit of effort on my part…well, that sounds like an amazing bargain to me.