Day #19, 2015

Don't forget to read!

"If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time
—or the tools—to write. Simple as that."  –Stephen King

The phrase 'writers write' has become axiomatic. Every wordsmith is keenly aware of the importance of making time to get those ideas down in sentence form. But sometimes, the would-be author forgets that one of the keys to successful writing is the discipline of reading.

In short, writers don't just write... they read! So important is reading that best-selling author Michael Moorcock lists reading as his top writers tip.

Tip1: "My first rule was given to me by TH White, author of The Sword in the Stone and other Arthurian fantasies and was: Read. Read everything you can lay hands on. I always advise people who want to write a fantasy or science fiction or romance to stop reading everything in those genres and start reading everything else from Bunyan to Byatt." 

So while you're scrambling to input something magical into your word processing program and (oh yeah) also have a life, don't forget to take five and drink in some fabulous prose. Your own work will thank you for the investment.