If you want to be a writer, you’ve undoubtedly been told to spend more time reading.
But reading is not just a research tactic for writers or a task assigned by your English teacher.
Reading is how we install the softwares that allows us to tell stories.
At Papercraft Publishers, we’ve worked with hundreds of young authors, and we’ve noticed a pattern: The better ones always make the time to read
Below are reasons why:
- Reading Cultivates Your Unique Writing Voice
In order to write stories that reflect your voice, you have to experience stories that reflect other peoples’.
Every book you read exposes you to different styles of writing that you can incorporate into your own. Whether it’s pacing, dialogue, or tone, your voice is formed by the amalgamation of everything you’ve read.
- Reading Educates You on Storytelling
A good book will teach you what makes a compelling plot, but a bad book will also teach you what makes a boring plot.
Reading allows us to learn from other authors’ successes and failures.
- Reading Helps You Empathize and Be More Informed
You can’t write about what you don’t understand, so the best way to expand your pool of topics to write about is to read.
When you read, you gain knowledge and exposure to different ideas, locations, and people. This allows you to become a more informed and empathetic writer.
- Reading Keeps You Connected to Your Audience
Since your audience is made up of readers, it’s only logical that you spend time doing what they do. The more you read – and the more you’re exposed to different points of view – The more you’ll be able to relate to your audience. The more you relate, the better you’ll be at predicting what they’ll want to read next.
A Gen Z Perspective: “Bro, Reading is the Cheat Code”
To give context, I’m part of Gen Z – a demographic that’s infamous for its dislike of book clubs.
We roll our eyes at bookstores, think reading is boring, and want to be booktokers, not bookworms
I was once part of that group, too, because I never saw the point in reading outside of “building my writing portfolio” as a young author
However, I learned otherwise when I decided to try writing without reading
That was a huge mistake
Because I realized that I wouldn’t be able to write as well as I wanted to without reading widely, I started reading again.
Reading is a cheat code for writers because it allows us to learn from other authors, steal their best material, and improve our own.
Reading is also a great way to keep up with other authors, since a lot of writers utilize social media platforms like Booktok and Bookstagram to promote their work.
If you want your book to reach the same audience, you have to know what they’re interested in – which is why many successful authors spend time studying what their audiences read.
So, instead of skimming boring classics, listen to your Gen Z peers when they say you should read BookTok mysteries or Wattpad romances or Webtoon adventures or Graphic novel dystopias or Twitter poetry. Your writing will thank you.
Now, if you want to become a better writer yourself, the best way to do that is to read.
Reading isn’t homework. It’s how you become a more informed person, which helps you write better stories.
So go forth and read. Your future readers will thank you.
Final Thoughts
If you want to build something delicious in a kitchen, the last thing you should do is not taste anything beforehand.
Similarly, if you want to be a good writer, the last thing you should do is not read.
As young authors, it’s our duty to put out stories for people to consume, but we can’t do that if we don’t consume stories ourselves.
