Avoidance

In a week of don’ts, there’s one thing that I really want to tell you not to do. Honestly, it’s something that I used to avoid doing, because I have so many other things that I need to do, and it ended up going by the wayside. And I’ll tell you right now that it was a mistake, and that everything about my creative side has gotten much better now that I’m actually doing this again.

Don’t Avoid Reading

You’re a writer, for goodness sake! Why would you avoid reading?

But a lot of us do, and I have. No judgment here, no worries. I’ve avoided it. I’ve thought it wasn’t important, and decided to leave it behind because I already knew what I wanted to write, and I didn’t want to read someone else’s story, I wanted to read mine. I thought I could expand my craft on my own, outside of the books that are already on the market.

That was not a smart move.

I know sometimes it can be hard to find something good to read, something that you want to pick up and read all the way to the end. Yeah, I know very well how that is. I have a lot of books on my shelf, that I read to chapter five and then put down because it couldn’t hold my attention. I know how hard it is to find something you like out there, when there’s so much on the market.

Thing is, if we don’t read anything ever, how can we expect other people to? How will we know what other people like to read, if we never read their recommendations? Why would other people want to read our book, if we won’t even consider reading theirs?

That’s actually a good place to start. In this day and age, you probably know a few people who’ve published works, or are in the process of publishing works. Well, go find some of them and read their books. There’s your incentive. It was written by someone you know, and you’re supporting them, the way you hope they’ll support you.

Whatever you decide to read, the point is that we can’t avoid it forever. Eventually, you’re going to have to pick something up and read it. If you want to get better at your craft, you need to read. If you want to know what other people are reading, what interests the general public, you need to read. If you want to be a good writer, and someone who supports the system that you’re getting yourself into (whether you decide to self-publish or go the traditional route) you need to read.

So go grab a book.

Me? I’m reading through The Lord of the Rings again, because I haven’t read it in ten years. 

What are you going to read? 

[love]

{Rani D.}