We Are Readers
“Reading usually precedes writing and the impulse to write is almost always fired by reading. Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer.” ~ Susan Sontag
I love that quote because it’s so true. Writers are readers. We were readers long before we were writers. The irony here is that once you become a writer, you have less time to read. And if you’re like me, when you don’t read, your writing suffers.
I can always tell that I’m not reading enough when my writing turns flat. It’s almost as if I’ve forgotten how to write. And I can tell what I need to be reading based on what element of my writing has turned flat. When the romance in my manuscripts is overshadowed by the plot, I know I need to read more romance. When the suspense in a manuscript dies, I dig out a thriller or suspense novel. When my descriptive abilities amount to writing, “the gray mansion looked scary,” I know I’d better sit my butt down with a nice historical.
I also adore books on craft. A good one can spark a fresh bout of creativity and really help get my writing back on track.
The best cure, though? Going back to my roots and reading the authors who got me interested in writing in the first place. Stephen King. Jack London. Robert Jordan. Linda Howard.
What about you? Do you remember THE BOOK or THE AUTHOR that made you sit up and say, “I can do this. I need to do this.”?
I was twelve. And it was Stephen King.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:08 am
The first book that I really read for pleasure was Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. I was 11 or 12 when I began reading her books. I wore the cover off of my paperback copy. Then in seventh grade I read some Silhouette Desires. My love for romance novels thrived from that point on. I’ve always wanted to write since I was very young. I pooh poohed romance novels until I actually read them. I imagine I could try to write another genre, but as my characters keep letting me know, romance and passion are my first love and keep rearing their heads.
November 30th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Amanda, the same thing happened to me! I actually wrote my first novel at the age of 12 — a Jack London/Stephen King-ish thing, and I kept writing, but romance? I pooh-poohed until my Air Force roommate made me read one when I was 24…and I fell in love with the genre. That’s what I’ve been writing ever since!
November 30th, 2007 at 9:24 am
This is going to sound silly, but for me it was Dr. Seuss. I loved Green Eggs and Ham when I was little and one day asked my mother where the story came from. She told me that someone went to their office every day just like Dad, sat down at their desk and wrote these stories. At that moment, I decided that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up.
I would like to note for the record that I also wanted to be an actress and an archeologist at the same time.
For romance, I first tried my hand at it (I’d already been trying mystery and SF) because someone in my office kept talking about how she was going to “dash off” a romance novel and make a bunch of money. (Her attitude: “If a bunch of bored housewives can do this, I certainly can.”) I knew I was a better writer than her, so I figured I should try as well. I’d read romance before (I’d devoured Shanna the summer it came out), but it wasn’t until I started reading a high volume of books trying to get a feel for what was out there that I got sucked into the vortex.
As for the co-worker? She did “dash off” what she considered a romance novel that read pretty much like a parody and never got it published.
November 30th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Wow! I was thinking of posting on this sometime next week! There really is a correlation, at least for me, between how much I’m reading and whether or not I’m writing.
I was thirteen. It was Victor Hugo.
I’d been reading lots before that, but Les Miserables sort of cracked open the writing floodgates.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. I first read it when I was 11, the same age as the title character. It instantly became my favorite book. I must have read it 5 times in a row. I wanted to be just like Harriet. For awhile, I carried around a notebook and “spied” on my family, writing down what they did and said. I wanted to spy on my neighbors, but living in the ‘burbs is different than living in NYC. I was too chicken to cross through huge yards to listen at my neighbors’ windows. I didn’t keep the notebook for long, but it did inspire in me the desire to write, to tell stories, and to be bold.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I really don’t remember how old I was, but I was in elementary school and reading Little House on the Prairie and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion books. I read every single book in both series and was so disappointed when they were over–I continued writing stories in my head. I literally read by the shelf. Started here, worked my way down the shelf and took home every single one. Moved to the next section. I never had any problems until I moved to romances toward junior high. The librarian went to our church and considered Victoria Holt too risque for me.
My Mom wouldn’t let me read Stephen King, either. Seriously.
So boy did I read a lot once I left home for college.
As a result, I’m never going to censor what my kids want to read!
November 30th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Yes, yes, yes. If I’m not reading enough, I start to feel it and see it in my writing. I am shifting down a gear to have more reading time next year. Although for all I know my productivity will go up for the change. *g*
November 30th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
I feel the same way about reading, how it inspires me and encourages me with my own writing. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but limited it to short stories until I was thirty. I’d started reading Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series and was totally smitten by his wonderful characters. That’s when I knew I wanted to write a book. I’ve never written anything like his stories, but I learned a lot from him about how to create captivating characters that lived and breathed inside my mind.
I like reading all fiction genres, romance included, but I’m a fool for urban fantasy and have been reading and writing it before it became so popular. I love the classic UF storytellers like Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman. They’re both my author heroes. 8^)
November 30th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
It was Danielle Steel that made me want to write, but Jude Deveraux’s REMEMBRANCE where the heroine’s a romance writer that really cemented things. One of the first lines is not everyone has stories in their head. I remember being in the backseat of the car on a road trip with my parents thinking huh, is that true? lol
November 30th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Mine was Tolkien. I read the Hobbit in fourth grade, and devoured the Lord of the Rings the summer after that. Maybe that’s why I can’t write short?
December 1st, 2007 at 6:39 am
I was about six and while it wasn’t a conscious “I can do this/must do this” thing, the guy who “took me on a journey” was Karl May. The Germans among the Sven’s will know who he is, others probably not. I grew up reading (and watching! Omg!) Winnetou and I remember wanting a horse like Kara Ben Nemsi’s Rih.
Gawd… I’m going to have to persuade my Dad to part with his collection of books. It just wouldn’t be the same to curl up and read a crisp new copy.