: Re: Can I be a good writer without reading a lot? This may seem like blasphemy to a lot of you, but can I become a good writer without doing incredible amounts of reading? I never read for

@Cugini967

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I understand where you're coming from. Free time is a precious resource, especially as an adult. There's only so much to go around, however this may be a case of what you're reading rather than how much you read. In other words, reading higher quality writing less often is usually better than reading lower quality writing more often.

I would start by picking the genre you'd like to write. The important thing is to write something that you would like to read. As author Tony Morrison eloquently put it, "If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

If you want to try your hand at fantasy, pick a novel or a series of novels, either mainstream or classic, that has high recommendations. People either won't stop talking about it, such as those with entire Wikis devoted to them, or those that appear regularly on various lists such as a "Top 10 Fantasy Novels" list or similar.

Furthermore, don't discount activities that involve stories outside reading alone. They are everywhere such as video games, movies and comics, and television is a prime example. Whether you're watching a story or playing it, you can always take a step back and ask, "How are the creators telling the story?"

Questions you might ask yourself are:

Why did the show writers choose this particular scene to end on
before the commercial break?
How did the game writers make me feel such strong sympathy for the
characters I'm playing with?
How is the dialogue in this scene written, and how well did it translate to the delivery by the actor and its effect on me, the viewer?

If you're interested in a crafty approach, I would recommend "Reading Like a Writer" by
Francine Prose. I'll be honest - it's a fairly technical guide but the benefit is that you'll be able to develop the awareness one needs when it comes to considering other people's work.

Good luck and happy writing and reading!

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