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You Write What You Read

Is this true for you?

By L.C. SchäferPublished 11 months ago Updated 11 months ago 4 min read
Top Story - May 2023
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You Write What You Read
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

This is me, writing about writing.

First of all, I am going to preface this by confessing that I am in no way qualified to say any of it. I'm not published. Here is something that is possible: I never will be.

I'm not going to mitigate that by telling you I've been writing most of my life, or how much I love it. I've had teeth all my life; doesn't make me a dentist. My nephew loves sitting in the driver's seat; he's three years old. Passion plus longevity does not necessarily equal talent or quality. Not always, anyway.

This is something I have found to be true for me, and I bet it's true for you as well.

Look at it through a lens of logic: you can only get out what you put in, right?

Years ago, someone I looked up to very much piddled on my hobby of reading. To be fair, I used to read an unreasonable amount. I don't know how I actually got through that many books. I was the most voracious of bookwyrms. At nine years old, I'd burn through novels which were the better part of a thousand pages long in a few days... and then look for more.

This person managed to convey that reading was for boring people. Interesting, successful, busy people who have fascinating lives don't have time to read.

They convinced me that writing is somehow superior to reading. In other words, creating is oh so much better than consuming. This made sense to me at the time. It's better to give than to take, right? I started to see my reading as a bad habit. A flaw! Can you believe it?

I did not understand at the time that one is a precursor to the other. I should have done. It was obvious. Like King says:

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.

The exhale is important and powerful. But it is also impossible, unless preceded by the inhale.

Is there a writer anywhere doesn't read? Let me re-phrase: is there a good writer who doesn't read?

If you mostly read vocal stories, guess what you will write? What about if you mostly read angry social media posts when you're doom-scrolling mid-shit? Guess what you'll write?

If you mostly read non-fiction... letters... text messages... you see where I'm going with this.

We don't write in a vacuum, and we shouldn't try. We should indulge. The "hobby" of reading is part of the work. Read as much as possible, and then read some more.

What if "writer's block" is "the reading pause"? The built-in break you need to take so that you can read more. Refill your tank, your ink bottle. Breathe in. There's ebb and there's flow. There's got to be both. A gentle pulse, a natural rhythm. It shouldn't be, "aww shit I can't write," it should be, "cool, I get to read another five chapters of_____".

Speaking of reading... Curate with care what goes into your eyeballs. I don't mean only seek out things you agree with. Absolutely do not do that. Season the sea of things you love with things that jar you. Challenge you. Make you feel uncomfortable or angry. Seek a variety of voices. Not just people who look like you or say the same things as you.

But in terms of themes, genres, topics, styles, talent, quality, language... curate, darling. Curate.

And another thing: lean into things that hurt. Be brave. Don't shy away from it. Breathe into it. Be alert. Notice. It's all juice.

What last made you cry, or rage? Use it. You don't want to write in monochrome, do you? What hurts you or disturbs you? You need it exactly as much as what brings you joy and peace, if not more. You need that discomfort, in a way that others do not.

You want a broad pallette to draw on. Many colours. Many flavours.

Anger can be a beautiful tool to write with. I love to write angry. Your mileage may vary. I write fast when I am furious. The words pour. Later, sober, I read it back, and it requires few changes.

The very best writers are angry. Two of my favourites, Dworkin and Pratchett - both angry people. Also wise. Self-aware. They used that fury.

When I encounter something that pisses me off, I light up like a Christmas tree. Yes! I start spitting words I forgot I knew. I am going to sprint with grit and enthusiasm towards my destiny of being a crotchety old git.

So tell me: what are you reading right now? Is it filling the tank?

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About the Creator

L.C. Schäfer

Book-baby is available on Kindle Unlimited

Flexing the writing muscle

Never so naked as I am on a page. Subscribe for nudes.

Here be micros

Twitter, Insta Facey

Sometimes writes under S.E.Holz

"I've read books. Well. Chewed books."

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Comments (32)

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  • Justine Crowley5 months ago

    There are different ways of branching out with your craft as a writer. Usually people start off writing articles, and then aim bigger with books. After the books are written; it is then ok to jump back to articles.

  • JO Jothes11 months ago

    Nice https://vocal.media/motivation/my-life-is-a-lie-unti

  • You make so many good points and I hadn't thought of this before. But you're right! I read a lot of Vocal and Medium, and that's what I write. Trying to branch out... maybe my reading needs to branch out a bit more. Kudos on another one well done!

  • Michele Hardy11 months ago

    Wow. I’d never thought of writing this way. What you put in is what you put out. Not just quantity, but quality of works. Thank you for breaking it down like this. Great work!

  • Caroline Jane11 months ago

    🙌🙌🙌 You are speaking my language. Love this! And.... Because you asked..."The Seven Moons of Maali" I am a third of the way through and it is gloriously different! Right up my street. 😉

  • Joelle E🌙11 months ago

    Totally true! Thanks for this!

  • Morgana Miller11 months ago

    You are awesome. This is such an inspired read. I feel like I learned heaps about you by reading this, with a lot left over to introspect on. I quit reading for about a decade and returned to it three years ago. It took a while to get my groove back. Then, finally, I started writing again, too. More recently, I'm remembering to try and write honestly. Right now, I'm doing The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon in print, and Breath by James Nestor on audio. What are you reading?

  • Leslie Writes11 months ago

    I needed this kick in the pants to read more! Thank you 💖

  • Madoka Mori11 months ago

    Brilliant piece! The non-reader person sounds like someone who unironically uses 'side-hustle'; opinion discarded. Reading is not a hobby. George R. R. Martin said it best, I think: "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies [...]. The man who never reads lives only one." Where did he say that, again? Oh yeah — IN A BOOK

  • J. R. Lowe11 months ago

    Couldn’t agree more with this - loved every word haha, especially the line “the very best writers are angry” 😂. It’s a shame people made you feel bad about your reading habits though, I think, as you said, reading is one of the best ways to become a better writer. I used to read a lot when I was younger then stopped because I always seemed to be too busy, and when I did sit down to read a book, I could never focus on more than a few paragraphs. I think that’s why I like Vocal - lots of short, snappy pieces you can read when you have a spare moment. Audiobooks have also been amazing, because you can multitask and follow the narrator’s pace, but I do feel like a bit of the magic is lost in a way… anyway, that’s just my two sense, I'm rambling now, thanks for a great read!

  • Brin J.11 months ago

    Currently reading a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Series). Hunger Games has always been high on my list of favorite dystopian genres. I really like your phrase: "The exhale is important and powerful. But it is also impossible, unless preceded by the inhale." Very impactful words, and I couldn't agree more. Well done with this article. And congrats on top story :).

  • ARC11 months ago

    this piece... is fkng BRILLIANT. THANK YOU for writing these important reminders/teachings/paradigm shifters. You have just made the world a better place. Cheers

  • Stephen A. Roddewig11 months ago

    Man, that dentist line. I can't remember the last time something on Vocal made me laugh out loud. Well done.

  • em11 months ago

    Smashing and brilliant and ace and incredible

  • Matt B.11 months ago

    Very true, even breaking the previous literary schemes is something that must be done after mastering them, and that is something that can only be done by reading. I'd like to contribute with 2 quotes from Jorge Luis Borges: "You are not what you are because of what you write, but because of what you have read.", and “Let others pride themselves about how many pages they have written; I'd rather boast about the ones I've read.”

  • Dana Stewart11 months ago

    Boom! Excellent Top Story! I love your notion that reading is the answer to Writer's Block! Love all of this - truly.

  • Roy Stevens11 months ago

    And there it is... congratulations on this top story L.C.! 🎈🎆🚀

  • DeAnna Troupe11 months ago

    I love what you have said about curating with care. I am pretty picky about what I read. I usually try to find positive, uplifting stuff to fill my brain with.

  • Gerald Holmes11 months ago

    This is truth and you speak it well. I haven't been writing a lot lately because I have been captured by the words on the page. I just finished the novel " The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah," and loved it. Congrats on your top story.

  • Loryne Andawey11 months ago

    Wow! I used to read so much, but then put it off because I thought I should be writing more. Thank you so much for reminding me that reading is part of the work!

  • Erica Wagner11 months ago

    This is a terrific piece. I certainly believe you ARE qualified to set out your stall this way. You're a writer. Writing makes you a writer, not being published. Being published is one thing, writing is another. And, as you so beautifully express, READING makes you a writer. Bravo to you for saying this so powerfully! I'm truly appreciative. Lately I've loved Tom Crewe's novel The New Life, which I highly recommend; also Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Happy reading!

  • Kristen Balyeat11 months ago

    Yes! I feel like this is absolutely so true! I love to read and always feel more inspired when I fill my cup with anything other than my own thoughts. I loved this line: “The exhale is important and powerful. But it is also impossible, unless preceded by the inhale.” And also that writers block may be the need for the inhale. Such great insights! Also so true that we become what we consume-I feel like it’s as true for information/reading as it is for food. Really enjoyed this piece! Thanks for writing!! 💫💞

  • Chisi limi11 months ago

    good bro

  • Shane Dobbie11 months ago

    Reading non-fiction books on random subjects is also incredibly helpful. I’ve lost count of the random bits of information that I’ve picked up and then put into a story.

  • Melissa Ingoldsby11 months ago

    Secrets of Urthis was my current book I read, I LOVED it!! K. D. Lumsden Wrote it. I NEED a sequel. Lol

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