Read Read Read

My last blog entry discussed the value of planning for authors at any stage of their development. It’s a discussion that I intend to come back to and develop as my own progression continues. Even now, less than a week since publishing it I could already advance my own understanding of it (my good intention of two blogs a week is under threat already!) but today I’ll focus on another aspect of our trade – reading.

I’ve read others discussing its importance and how, if you want to improve your writing, reading is vital. Words are the tools of the job and the only way to improve, is to improve your own vocabulary. Not just individual words obviously, but sentence structure, style and all the other facets that contribute to a well written piece of prose.

There is no short cut to achieving this either. You have to do the time. If you don’t enjoy reading then why on earth are you trying to write?

So what is my approach? Well, for a start I’ve always enjoyed reading so it’s not a chore. But I have made a concerted effort recently to increase my reading list. Rather than sticking to the usual genres that I enjoy (Robert Harris and Jack Higgins would probably top my list) I’ve branched out. In the last month I’ve read sections of books I would previously never have touched. Romance (girly books) don’t interest me at all, but they are books all the same. They have been written by people as eager as I am to succeed and I can learn a lot from them. 

‘I don’t have the money to read hundreds of books!’ I hear you shout.

Here’s the thing; you don’t have to read the whole book to pick up a few pointers. Of course I still buy books – but they will always be the one’s I really want to read. For the rest I download the samples. Normally that gives you at least a couple of chapters and that’s enough. Don’t feel guilty about not buying the full version, that’s your prerogative as a consumer. 

Having said that my last two purchases have come purely from reading a sample I enjoyed unexpectedly. My ‘samples’ technique keeps me reading across a large cross section of genres and, if I want to know how the story ends then I buy it. Everyone benefits.

If you don’t have an eBook reader, then improvise. Next time you’re in a waiting room, lift the book that sits gathering dust on the table. Read a few pages; shake your head at the plot and characters. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are reading, honing your skills for when you next sit down at the lap top to share your words with everyone else. 

Who knows, maybe someone will download a sample of your work and become your number one fan?

ACR