Thoughts of a Mad Man

Level up your writing if you aren't already

Why do writers need to read?


Well, remember that writing is only effective as a social event between reader and writer. Can you imagine a professional host who made conversation but never listened to any of the things other people had to say? One who has never been a guest anywhere. That would likely be a low-quality host who would make mistakes that could easily be prevented with a little bit of empathy.


Whenever you go into a social situation you should have a desired result in mind. Some conception of how you want your audience–the other people in the situation–to feel and what you want them to do. The best way to know what can be done is to reflect on the results that you have experienced as a reader. When Picasso or other artists say, "a mature writer steals," it isn't just tropes. He takes any bit of the experience. You might read Tolkien and note the awe of interacting with an esteemed wizard, and put a similar old man in your book. That's good, but you might also find a way to create that same experience when dealing with a little child empress, or a legendary musician. You could put this experience in a sword and sorcery book or it might even be literary fiction. Perhaps your Gandalf is a legendary female protester from decades gone by, or a poet who inspired your hero.


As you are reading, yes you absorb the tropes and see what has been done both right and wrong with them. You also absorb the experiences that you might want to create–woe betide the would-be published author who does not ever think of the impact his words might have on the reader.


So, take a few minutes or hours out of your time to read. Read for enjoyment. That's the most important one, because then you know what can be enjoyed. And because your reading habit will then sustain itself. Then read (with enjoyment) as a writer. Seeing badly written books as a writer is pleasant because then you can see what goes on behind the scenes. I remember a scene in Flash Gordon that was painful to watch as a regular person because I couldn't tell if the actors were awkward or if the characters were pathetic. That moment where Dale (the woman) and Flash were wanting to connect, and they stared into each other's eyes, and just... couldn't recover. But how often do you get to see that attempted subtext, the multiple layers coming at one another, and really know it's happening?


Don't be a snob, just read anything that gives you any joy, or which is done in any way differently than what you know. Make note of everything that you feel and observe. You'll improve your writing without really even knowing how.