Anyone who intends to be a writer should not just write constantly, but also read — a lot. While surveys suggest that 80% of Americans want to write a book, it appears that a huge number never bother reading any. Eighty nine million Americans supposedly don’t find the time to read a book, an estimate from a number of years back that I’d like to bet hasn’t improved much since.
According to Dan Poynter’s compilation of book statistics:
The number of adults engaged in reading literature–defined as novels, short stories, plays and poetry, and a focus of the study–was 46.7% in 2002, down from 54% in 1992 and 56.9% in 1982.
Reading across a wide variety of genres is hugely important for would-be non-fiction authors. As Frans Johansson outlines in The Medici Effect, innovative ideas are more likely to be found at the intersection of two or more different disciplines, fields, or cultures. For example, having an interest in and knowledge of mythology, especially Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces, inspired Michael Hauge, Christopher Vogler, and Stuart Voytilla to create books covering plot structure and how to bring realistic characters to life. These books are quite different from tomes that are typically written for fledgling novelists and writers of screenplays; that’s what stimulates your curiosity as you read them, making the experience both valuable and enjoyable.
Non-fiction books like Uncertainty by David Lindley that read like a novel, will not only give you a better understanding of quantum physics than the quasi-science that’s extrapolated elsewhere, but will show you how to take a serious topic and make it compelling reading.
The same holds true if you are an aspiring novelist. Don’t confine your explorations to genres that have always attracted you, or represent the market sector for your intended book. Engrossing yourself in classics like the Iliad and the Odyssey will give you a feel for the hero’s journey about which Joseph Campbell wrote so eloquently. Reading Margaret Atwood will not only entertain you, but will teach you much about the skills of someone who is both a master plotter (particularly in relation to back story) and a glorious wordsmith. I particularly recommend The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx & Crake.
Not least, broadening the scope of what you read, as well as reading more books than the one or two titles that millions of Americans confine themselves to each year, will positively impact the way you write.
I don’t know if Leo Tolstoy read Plutarch, but isn’t there something familiar about the opening to Anna Karenina (“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”), in what Plutarch wrote almost two thousand years earlier?
All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own.
No writer intends to plagiarise someone’s else’s work. But there are subtle influences that take place in your writing when you elevate your reading. At the very least you become aware of what true masters of their craft are able to convey in just a few well-chosen words.
Try it for a month. Dip into two or three books that you would not normally pick up and see how that exposure to new writing changes the way you think about words, view other people’s use of words, and how you select words for your own writing. Will you let me know what you discover?
In the meantime, what other modern day and classical similarities (such as the Plutarch and Tolstoy example I’ve mentioned above) are you aware of?
Hey, I just hopped over to your site via StumbleUpon. Not somthing I would normally read, but I liked your thoughts none the less. Thanks for making something worth reading.
@Marco I know what your mean. In todays economy its tough to find a job that pays good enough to live on and is stable . I have discovered that if you just work hard and are consistent you can go places . Look at the author of this article, they are clearly hard working and have just been consistent over time and are now enjoying at least what would appear as somewhat of a success. I would encourage everyone to just keep hustling and moving forward.