Read to Write

Writing.

It happens because writers know stuff. Think of yourself as a writer. You know stuff because you are aware — you observe. People. Kids. Dogs. Cats. Picnics. A flower growing. The herbs that aren’t. A laugh. A cry. And all the reasons why.

You immerse in TV, movies, news, and books.

Yes. Books.

Enjoy the way the words flow and lead you from one idea to the next, how the choice of sentence structure and word choice keep your mind imagining the now and the next. And the format and set-up– does it jump right into the action, or set you shivering in in the setting?

Read to feed your mind with styles and strategies so that when that idea pops into your head for your next draft, something from the reading experience will guide you in just the right mixture needed in that next word to allow your reader to imagine what could wait as I gently turn the dull brass doorknob on the splintered red door of Room 18.

Read. It’s a writers’ toolbox.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Read to Write

  1. Sheri,
    So true! This is the first summer in a while that I have taken seriously your call to read! I am having a wonderful time too–reading voluminously and voraciously!

    I love this challenge to fill our writer’s toolbox with reading.

    I heard a funny story from Richard Peck (A Year Down Yonder) at the Iowa Reading Conference. He said writing was all about research. If he had only written what he knew for the past four decades, he’d have written only one unpublishable haiku. Instead he’s published 40 books for youth.

    Thanks!

    Denise

    1. Hi Denise, I know. Over and over I hear writers share how important research is to their writing, how it adds richness and reality to their writing. Your story about Richard Peck certainly makes that clear.

      And reading, reading, reading is research for that adds diversity in the mind and discoveries for the writing muse.

      Thanks for adding the story!

Leave a Reply to Ms. Edwards Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *