: Re: How do I become a better writer when I hate reading? I like telling stories, but I don't care so much for reading them. It's not for me. But the number one advice to become a better author

@Annie587

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Similar to Amadeus's answer, I think it depends on whether you are a plotter or a pants writer.

As a plotter, your stories have structure. Characters will journey forth and return, subplots will be woven into the main timeline in measured intervals, arcs will be mapped and tweaked for maximum pay-off.

There may even be structural "games" built in: foreshadowing, echoes, elliptical endings, analogies, themes that supersede the plot, elaborate twists and lingering mysteries. All of these are in a plotter's toolkit partly because a plotter feels more "sure" with a planned structure.

The language might take a backseat, or be minimized by comparison. A procedural crime drama with elaborate twists and turns can benefit from a plain "news style" language. You don't need to be an avid newspaper reader to imitate a mannered, journalistic style.

A pantser's tools are focus, empathy and wordcraft. A pants writer must develop an innate sense of how stories flow, and understand the impact of individual words and phrases. It's far more important that the reader is engaged emotionally, and from moment to moment.

The emotional intelligence for language is a skill that can only come from reading because it has to be experienced and processed before it can be imitated and eventually mastered.

These are generalizations.

Plotting is like engineering a bridge – the structure is the story. Decorative details are bolted on to the superstructure, but the overall shape is planned well in advance. The bigger the bridge, the longer the planning phase. You're far less likely to suffer from "style creep" because a bridge isn't built from one end to the other, it all rises as one superstructure. The language can be utilitarian if the structure is sufficient to keep the reader moving from A to B.

In a totally unrelated metaphor, pantsing is like interpretive dance or improvising music. You'll need knowledge of the artform and mastery of your instrument. That means practice, and studying the works of others, as well as critically re-examining your own works after they are finished. A pantser who doesn't read their own work with a critical eye will never improve. The successful pants workflow involves re-writes, so it's built-in to a degree.

I don't see how anyone can become a good pants writer without reading (and writing), but a plotter might create a story that succeeds more by design than through style.

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