Reading will help your writing. It’s that simple. From being inspired by your favorite quotes and passages to modeling your favorite author’s writing style, your writing improves, expands, and evolves if you read more.
If you want to become a better writer by reading, start with what you love. If you read what you love, you’ll read more. If you read what you love, you’ll be inspired more often and spend more time in the feel-good vibes that motivate you to write.
I remember a moment recently when my sister recommended a book to me called The Hawk. I freaked out when I looked at the front cover and saw “New York Times Bestseller” and “Award” this or that. I put the book down. Then I laughed at myself. I was in full-on comparisonitis and worried I’d never be able to write a book like that.
But if you want tips for improving your writing style, one of the first would be to read others’ work and see what turns you on. In the first chapter of The Hawk, I groaned out loud and then said things like, “Oh man, I want to write like this!”
That’s one of the things I love the most about writing—my genuine love of learning how to get better at it. I used to be afraid of critics, but now I’m more interested in learning how to pull a reader into my material so deeply that they are muttering similar things.
The other kinds of books I love to read to help me be a better writer are, of course, books about writing! Some of my favorites include On Writing by Stephen King and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I also loved Naked, Drunk, and Writing by Adair Lara. Oh my, there are so many. Every time I read a book about writing, I picked up at least (if not several) golden nuggets I took to my computer when it was time for me to sit and write.
A favorite book writing coach of mine recommended reading as well. “Pick up five of your favorite books in the genre you’d like to write, and see what you love about them,” she said. I read and write non-fiction primarily. I immediately picked up a title by Elizabeth Gilbert and started re-reading with this idea in mind. I quickly noticed words, phrases, and styles that had me paying attention, laughing, crying, or simply feeling more. And because that is one of my main goals as an author, I was glad to have some new ideas about how to do that for my readers.
These days, I don’t limit my inspiration to only non-fiction because I know that fiction, poetry, and other genres inspire too! Sometimes I’ll pick up a book of poetry and choose one, and then sit to write based on what inspiration came through from that poem or even one line of the poem.
True story: I spent most of my younger years loving to read. Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, and the Narnia books, oh, how I loved those books. Then I hit college and started hating to read. I wouldn’t read anything except what I was forced to read to study. I had no time to be inspired by books I loved. And then, slowly, as an older adult, my love for reading came back, deeply tied to my love of educating others about holistic health and wellness and self-development and healing. In addition to the 20 books a year I read that we publish, I read a couple of non-fiction self-help books every quarter or so and, very so often, a romance novel. My pleasure reading goes in waves.
I recently read a couple of wonderful books. The first, Epic Life by Justin Breen, is for my entrepreneurs building an empire—a great, inspirational book. And the second, Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi, MD, is for those who have been through trauma and are getting their joy back. This is a wonderful book that I wish I had written! I’m an old-fashioned gal when it comes to my books. I read paperbacks and keep my highlighter, pen, and dog-earing fingers ready. I had a binge-reading weekend and read both in a few days. Now, I’ll take a break to edit one of our amazing titles, On Purpose Woman, The Complete Holistic Guide for Spiritual Entrepreneurs. I’m so lucky to get to read wise and inspirational stories and practical tools from the world’s best experts.
What are you reading this summer? And what are you writing? Tell me in the comments! I’d love to hear. And what kinds of things are you reading in your books that inspire your writing? There’s so much to learn!
