“Read Everything, All The Time”
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I love reading articles and books about writing. More specifically, I love reading articles and books about the struggle that is writing. Don’t be fooled; I adore writing. It’s my thing. But I do struggle with it. Mightily.
Anyway, I read a recent piece on Slate called Slowpoke: How to Write Faster. I encourage all of you – writers and non-writers alike – to pop on over and read it because it is hearty food for thought and is ultimately an interesting discussion about the speed at which we reach our goals, and live our lives. There are so many things I could address here, but one thing really struck me, one nugget of advice the author tossed in at the end, namely:
Read everything. All the time.
The author claims that doing so is “the only way to build the general knowledge that you can tuck away in long-term memory, only to one day have it magically surface when you’re searching for just the right turn of phrase.” On one level, this makes a ton of sense. By losing ourselves in writing of others, aren’t we subconsciously inheriting a wealth of words, of techniques, of ideas? I imagine so.
But. But what I want to know is whether by “reading everything, all the time,” we are also losing ourselves a bit? By focusing so much on the work of others, are we losing critical focus on our own work, on our own ways? Hmmm. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Over my August break, I read a lot. A fat stack of wonderful books, old and new. And I loved this, this dipping into the lush prose of other people. But I also felt myself being swayed this way and that, falling in love with one style and then another, one breed of story and then another, one species of voice and then another. I felt compelled, yes, but also a bit confused.
As a rather green writer, I wonder if it is really good for me to read so much? For one, it’s a simple time thing; for all those hours I am flipping pages, I am not writing my own. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, I am impressionable. If I am still figuring out my own writing identity, is it truly helpful for me to be glimpsing the writing identities of so many others? Will this ultimately empower me or imprison me?
I don’t know. I really don’t. My instinct, my deep instinct, is that it is imperative to keep reading and reading. That my writing will only benefit from exposing myself to those beyond myself. But how really does this work if there are only so many hours in the day and I am still a young, sponge-like author?
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Thoughts? How much do you read? Do you feel that it helps or hinders your own creativity?
I’ve asked myself the same question about reading the work of others vs. writing my own. I do read quite a bit, but if I’m focused on writing something it reminds me of a busy toddler that needs my full attention. This, along with my random nature, means I typically toddle back and forth between reading and writing. Happy all of it to you:)
As a student I read far too much (but that is a good thing). I choose not to write what I feel but rather I scribe the verbose ephemera. Those words, thoughts, feeling, and sweeping emotions are too intimate to divulge.
I can see how reading a lot can influence you. But, I think that if you vary the styles represented, you will end up with a wealth of experience to draw on to help form your voice – your very own voice.
It also depends on how impressionable of a person you are (I think anyway). For example, I am the type of person that could move to the south and start talking like a Southerner in no time flat. I am easily molded. Some people are not and would be less affected than me.
Aidan, I am biased because I think that the author of that article is dead on.
I am a voracious reader and deadly at games like Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. I compose at the keyboard and can pump out content faster than most people do with relative ease.
I attribute that to two things:
1) Practice. I write constantly. The discipline in doing so helps to get me sharp and is part of why writer’s block doesn’t interfere with my writing.
2) Reading. Over time I have accumulated a very broad base of knowledge that I can draw upon. The depth isn’t always as great as I would like, but I usually know enough to write something intelligent.
FWIW, I think your voice is pretty distinct already.
I read a lot, but less while I’m deep into writing something. Partially this is a time management issue, but it also comes from some (I think) good advice I got from a much more successful and older writer I’m friends with. She believes if you read others’ work while you’re writing, aspects of the other author’s ideas and voice can subconsciously wind up in your own work. She actually refrains from reading almost anything other than the newspaper while writing her novels (and she’s been on the bestseller list several times, so she’s doing something right!). While I haven’t taken my abstention of reading to that level, I do think there’s something to the theory.
I hear you on this one. I find my writing VERY influenced by what we are reading. However, I also think we need to have faith in our own styles and know that even if we are “borrowing” someone’s style or technique, ultimately, the words are ours. And editing always smooths out these edges anyway. After rewriting a few times, the draft is ALWAYS ours.
Great topic by the way!!! You have wonderful blog posts and you ask such great questions.
Thought provoking….Thank you.
I read so much and struggle with my writing. However, I wrote on my very new and very small blog, that most authors attribute their success to discipline, of which I have yet to achieve.
You raise a very thought provoking question in me. Even writing my comments to your post is carried out in the early hours of the morning, why?……. Reading and thinking hard about being disciplined in my writing.
Another great post!