: Re: Is read, read, read really the best advice? Is there any evidence that a prolific readers are better equipped to write than a non-reader? At first I'd suggest the answer is a no-brainer but

Yes, reading is better for a writer than not reading.

Maybe we should qualify that. Reading like a writer is better for a writer. I'm not sure what the benefit of plowing through a bunch of books is. But reading the best authors with the eyes of someone who understands a little about how sentences and chapters are put together turns you into someone who understands a lot about how sentences and chapters are put together.

Writers don't read to collect ideas and steal characters, but to get those "aha" moments where you understand why this bit is so funny or melancholy or how the story handles the passage of time or the development of a character trait.

Edit: This too: By paying attention to how you read you learn how other people read. I tend to skip the paragraphs of description. I pay attention to dialog (but not the tags) and actions. I need clarity in time jumps and section breaks. So I write that way.

Load Full (0)

: One-sentence paragraph that introduces a list of paragraphs Can someone point me to some style guides somewhere on this issue? Let's say you have a list of three issues and you want to introduce

@Nimeshi163

Load Full 3 Comments

: Is it possible for an aggressive character to become sensitive? So I'm writing a story, a fanfiction to be specific, and a main character is an aggressive, emotionless, constantly angry man,

@Nimeshi163

Load Full 4 Comments

: A teacher once told me, "Show don't tell, except when telling is better." I notice, in my own reading, that I generally want to skip over the telling parts of a story--the long beautiful

@Nimeshi163

Load Full 0 Comments

: Author-recommendation for styles similar to Lovecraft? I enjoy the verbose and elevated use of words Lovecraft is inclined to employ. I'm hoping to read other authors who have a similar style,

: Re: Is read, read, read really the best advice? Is there any evidence that a prolific readers are better equipped to write than a non-reader? At first I'd suggest the answer is a no-brainer but

More posts by @Nimeshi163

: One-sentence paragraph that introduces a list of paragraphs Can someone point me to some style guides somewhere on this issue? Let's say you have a list of three issues and you want to introduce

: Is it possible for an aggressive character to become sensitive? So I'm writing a story, a fanfiction to be specific, and a main character is an aggressive, emotionless, constantly angry man,

: A teacher once told me, "Show don't tell, except when telling is better." I notice, in my own reading, that I generally want to skip over the telling parts of a story--the long beautiful

: Author-recommendation for styles similar to Lovecraft? I enjoy the verbose and elevated use of words Lovecraft is inclined to employ. I'm hoping to read other authors who have a similar style,

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top