It’s amazing when I ask aspiring writers, “What are you reading?” and often they answer, “Nothing! I have no time to read!” That response stymies me–how can one expect to learn the nuance of craft if a they don’t read? Can a person become a great chef by never tasting food? Can a person become a great musician by never listening to music? Can a person become a great basketball player by never watching a game?
Let’s take that second example, because music is another form of art. When musicians are asked, “Who do you listen to?” they always have a ready answer. Rock stars, country singers, jazz swingers, metal bangers are quick to give tribute to the sounds that influenced their work. They’re not shy about giving props to other musicians, it’s how they acquired their understanding of music and how they mastered finer points like style and rhythm. Musicians study the work of their fellow artists, pick it apart, replay it time and again to gather a full knowledge of all the components.
So, I argue, should writers with other writers. As a YA writer, I should read the work of my contemporaries–how do they master character development, setting, description, plotting? What mystery writer wouldn’t be served by reading Agatha Christie, Rex Stout or Reginald Hill? It’s arrogant and ignorant to think your writing can’t be improved by reading and reflecting on the work of other writers. If you’re serious about writing, you’re digging into the best work your genre has to offer.
If you write in isolation, purely informed by what you watch on TV or read on the Internet, you can’t become a really great writer. I’d argue that you couldn’t even become a mediocre writer. Writers need to examine, pore over, wallow in the work of other writers.
Right now I’m slogging through a YA manuscript (at least I think it’s a YA novel), and my characters are gritty, living on the poor side of town. I’m reading Townie by Andre Dubus III to inform me on developing setting and character. I’m reading Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy to advise me on plotting and pacing and dialogue. And as I continue writing, I’m browsing the YA section of my local library, picking up other books to help me along.
What are you reading these days? How’s it helping your writing?
