Using Books to Enhance Your Writing

Reading is my passion. It calms me when I am stressed and takes me to a magical world when I need a break. It is, for me, one of the most rewarding hobbies I have. 

Do you remember all those people interviewed in their homes during the lockdown, were you were looking at the bookshelves behind them? I was.

Years ago, I was a one-book-at-a-time woman. Recently, I have found myself having several at a time. I dip into the one I fancy. It could be about writing, history, or a good old-fashioned novel.

My Reading Addiction

I became addicted to reading at an early age. My earliest memories of my mum involve her with a book in her hand. Whether reading to us or for pleasure, she always had a book. 

As children, we had monthly visits to the library and bookshops. These are some of my fondest memories. 

In junior school, we had a visit from Nigel Hinton. He stated good authors see their books in their minds like a movie reel. I’m not strange, I thought. Those movies running in my head are books fighting to get out. Several years later, these made it onto paper.

Writing

When I started on my writing journey, I struggled to have time to write and read. I love writing, but not reading affected my mental health. Like many of us, I felt guilt if I did anything besides writing. That included reading. Then I read that you needed to analyse text to be a good writer. It was all the permission I needed to get back into reading.

When you read, you should be studying how a writer introduces a character, and how they build suspense. Take every step of their work and analyse how they accomplish their novel. 

Do this if you love a book, but do it if you hate it too. Analysing what puts you off a book can be as valuable to your writing career as those you love.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post on first sentences. The post has, to date, been my most successful. The initial idea for the article came from studying the first sentences and seeing which ones made me want to read more and which didn’t. 

Since then, I have become obsessed with studying the first lines of everything I read. I even keep a notebook for this. Not just for those articles and books I love but for the ones I have never finished. What is it in the first sentence that makes me go? I can’t read that.

Analytical Reading

We must harness these analytical skills to read and develop our writing simultaneously. There are ways, though, that you can increase this ability. Like any skill, it takes practice and patience to make the most of your reading experience.

Depending on the genre you are reading will depend on what you need to analyse.

One of the things I would study is how the writer keeps me engaged in their writing. Whether this is fact or fiction, what keeps me reading. 

Alternatively, what stops? Analyse these facts and then use the skills and tips in your writing. With fiction, look at how a writer builds suspense and plots the story.

As a writer, I find dialogue very hard to write. I never know whether I have the tone right or the punctuation. By studying the work of other writers, I learnt how to write effective dialogue that pulls people in. 

I still have a lot to learn. Dialogue is something I will always work on. It is why I pay close attention to it when I am reading.

Recording Insights

It is important to record this information. The memory is beautiful, but like a computer, it can only hold so much information. Read with a notebook beside you. Frequently, I look back on these observations. Some may be the seed that starts an article or short story.

The information that you can gain from other writers is valuable. These are people who have been where you are and studied their craft. They will, in turn, have studied other writers. You must study and not copy what other writers do. This is a research exercise, not an excuse to copy the work of others.

Think about what are your favourite books. Did these inspire you to write? Was it a particular novel that gave you the inspiration to write? Reading should be a big part of your life if you are a writer.

Reading is good for not only our writing but also our mental health. It aids our concentration and helps many relax. It is my meditation.

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot — Stephen King