The Write Road: To Write Better, Do This
Granddad, come with us! We will show you where the books are! - the Littles.
Every writing instructor will explain the importance of writing every day. Of regularly putting words to paper—digital or otherwise—to become better at the craft. I’ll tell you the same. But there’s another activity that helps improve your skills. And it could be as simple as flashing one little card.
Of Aeroplanes, Juggling Clowns … and Books
Believe it or not, you can find all these things … and more … in our public library here in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And I’m a card carrying member. Not surprising, right?
So are my granddaughters. The “Littles” mentioned above.
In fact, they’re one of the reasons I visit the library on a regular basis. Every Wednesday is Library Day(!) for them. And if my daughter can’t take them, Granddad does. They return the books from the previous week (if they’ve read them) and pick up three more.
It’s not just a habit for them … it’s an adventure!
You see, during the Covid pandemic’s early days, in-school learning was curtailed. I bought them all laptops and my daughter took on the task of school master.
And she did a great job!
(A friend of mine said they would get behind. When they finally did go back to in-school studies this year … they were at the top of their class. Hah!)
Their rewards for getting lessons done were field trips to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the local library.
(Good reading habits and art appreciation start early … always remember that.)
Earlier this summer, the Littles hauled me off to the library to see, of all things, a circus performance!
The library has a huge auditorium and the slated performance for the day was a circus act with clowns, jugglers, and hula hoop experts. It was quite fun (particularly watching my young charges giggling with delight). And they got a chance to hop onstage and display their own prowess at hula hooping.
(I busted a gut, laughing at their antics.)
At the end of the show, my three giggling girls dragged me out into the hallway. Then the littlest of the Littles grabbed my hand, looked up at me and exclaimed …
“Granddad, do you want to go see where the books are? We can show you where the books are! Do you want to go?”
“Why, yes!” I replied.
And so we did … we did go to see where the books are.
Reading widely is fundamental. Period.
I truly believe that every ink-splattering writer should also be a card-carrying member of a library, local or remote.
If there’s not a library nearby, find one that has an online selection you can access. Our local repository of seemingly unlimited, physically accessible literary tomes offers virtual reading options as well.
You check them out and read them on your computer or other compatible digital computational device.
(Bonus: no late fees for not returning them on time. They check themselves back in!)
Our Fayetteville library is nothing short of amazing. There are so many books to read I’ll never get through them all. On the plus side, they store them for me, arranged beautifully on well-kept shelves. That saves space in my office (and I don’t have to dust them, either).
The selection is extensive, from:
Apple pie to Aristotle
Butterflies to business
Cat herding to CAT scans
Oranges to origami
War and Peace … to worm wrangling! (Remember … I’m in Arkansas.)
I think your reading list should be extensive. Not just topics you care about, but those topics on which you have reservations or conflicting views.
Or those topics you know nothing about, but would love to learn.
Don’t just read nonfiction, either. Or books on writing or marketing or business.
A little E.B. White never hurt anyone. I have several of his classic works (besides the revered The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White).
Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan round out my “White” list.
I have a personal digitized library of well over 200 titles. And I’m not sure how many my physical collection harbors. The digital editions are contained in the Kindle App, available on all my digital devices, including my phone. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on that collection, and maybe thousands overall, including the hard copies.
But it’s money well spent.
If you want to be a writer, you need to read.
Widely.
And deeply.
But above all, read the right way.
The importance of reading and what a writer should read
Well, now. That’s a tall order to fill. Some answers may need addressed in future issues of The Write Road. But I’ll give you a bird’s eye view of why reading is crucial and what you should read.
(The second could be summed up in one word: everything possible. Okay, that’s two words. But you get the picture, right?)
Let’s look at the first one: importance.
The importance of reading
In an article on the Lifehack.org website describing the benefits of reading every day, Catherine Winter lists 10 benefits, some physical, some mental, and some as they pertain to writing in particular.1
On the physical and mental side—which are inextricably and intimately interconnected (uh oh … big word alert. Sorry!)—increased focus, mental stimulation, stress reduction, memory improvement, and tranquility are a few of the bennies.
You’ve probably experienced these personally. And a few of them all at once.
Many times I’ve come home, stressed out from work. I’d sink into the couch, exhausted, and there on the end stand was a book I’d started earlier. Picking it up, I’d begin to read.
The stress and tension from the day’s travail soon dissipated and I relaxed, lost in the text.
Here’s something else.
I’m not sure how this happens. But sometimes when I’m struggling with a problem, setting it aside and picking up a book or reading from my Kindle helps. Even if what I’m reading is totally unrelated to the challenge at hand, the elusive answer pops into my head, right in the middle of a sentence.
Strange, huh?
For the professional writer, an increased vocabulary, better analytical thinking, and expanded knowledge are important tools for better content.
(We must all advance, sooner than later, beyond the “See Spot. See Spot Run. Run, Spot, Run! stage, right?)
And reading is inexpensive entertainment, too. Checking out a book a the library is way cheaper than going to a movie, particularly if snacks are involved. Unless, of course, you forget to take the book back on time and have to pay late fees.
Hmm, that reminds me. I wonder if I returned …
Anyway, reading expands the writer’s universe in so many different ways that the content creator who doesn’t read is hopelessly hobbled, literarily speaking.
But … what should a writer read?
Well, here’s my opinion.
What a writer should read … and why
To reiterate: everything you can get your hands on.
Fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction (more on that in a later issue), biographies and autobiographies, scientific articles and journals, trade publications, the books that movie adaptations were based on (much better, in most cases), articles about writing, other people’s content, the back panels of cereal boxes, and (have I missed anything? Oh yeah!) the occasional comic book!
Whew!
That’s a lot, but it should get you started.
The “why read all this” is simple. That’s how you evolve as a writer. That’s how you develop your own voice as an author and content creator.
That … and by writing every day, of course.
Believe me, I’m not the same writer I was 20 years ago. Or 10 years ago. Or even last year.
Reading changed me.
I wasn’t “born” a writer. None of us are. It’s something we become, something we grow into. It’s an evolutionary process. But it’s not in the genes.
It’s in the words.
Read them.
But … how should we read to get the most bang for our literary buck?
Well, that depends.
On reading the right way
That’s an interesting discussion for sure. And it can be quite controversial, to be honest. At least from my point of view.
It depends on several facto……….
Hang on a minute. Someone’s bangin’ on the office door. Be right back.
Sorry about that! It’s my Littles. Totally slipped my mind.
It’s Library Day!
Say … I think there’s a magic show in the auditorium this time.
Would you like to go with us?
Not enough notice … I totally understand.
Well, our talk about reading the right way will have to wait until next time.
We’re off on an adventure!
To where the books are.
You should go, too.
Soon.
See you next issue!
Steve M
10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day, August 2, 2022 by Catherine Winter, Lifehack
I believe you just left a lengthy list of librarians elated and literally leaping for joy!
Enjoyed this, Steve! I am a reader, too, and love libraries. I tend to read things I like to read, but have been adding more challenging works to my 'to read' list. Like many readers, I suspect, I often have two or three books I am reading and choose which to read depending on the time of day or my mood.