Read, Read, Read

For writers, there is one absolutely essential element to getting better – reading.

That’s right, kiddos, if you want to improve as a writer, you need to read everything you can get your hands on.  And I don’t just mean good stuff; you also need to read bad stuff.  Good stuff can help you figure out ways to approach a story – The Shining did that in Marvelous ways for me for Salvation Day – but bad stuff can help you figure out what to avoid.  It may be cringeworthy, but knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do.  In some cases, it may be even more important because while sometimes it’s hard to describe what we like, it’s not hard to know what we don’t.

I’ve fallen down on this for a while, but I’m trying to get back in it.  My biggest problem is in finding stuff that captures my interest.  Some of the supposed giants write in ways I find difficult to enjoy(David Brin comes to mind), and even some of the greats are hit and miss(like Stephen King…great with 11/22/63, but not so much with Salem’sLot).  Even writers I’ve loved, like Timothy Zahn and Harry Turtledove, don’t always write stories I’m interested in.  And if a book doesn’t capture my interest quickly, I put it down.

Of course, I return to books I love frequently.  I’ve read Tim Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy multiple times, and I go back to Guns of the South over and over.  But that’s not getting me new stuff.  I need to see what other authors might capture my fancy…as well as which ones turn me off(and why).  It can be challenging, but that’s what writers must do to improve, for other books are the best teachers.