I know, second week, and already, I’m not giving you a review. \u00a0However, I’m still in the middle of the books (yes, plural) that I’m currently reading, and I don’t want to give you guys a half-assed review. \u00a0So instead, I’m going to give you my thoughts on reading.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I’ve always been a reader. \u00a0Of everything. \u00a0I was the kid who would read the back of the cereal box while eating breakfast. \u00a0My parents are both avid readers, and all four of us kids grew up with more books than TV shows. \u00a0Even to this day, I read every day, and just about everything.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And that’s a big part of my philosophy – you cannot be a good writer without being a reader. \u00a0Reading teaches you so much more than you realize, even as a child. \u00a0It teaches you about how to craft a story, how to draw someone into the worlds in your head, how to breathe life into the ghosts that populate your imagination. \u00a0Reading populates the imagination in the first place – it gives you what several of my friends call “plot bunnies” that hop around and spawn stories of their own. \u00a0And yes, before you yell at me, you can get plot bunnies from other things, but reading is the holy grail of them all.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And it’s not just fiction. \u00a0Non-fiction gives you the same kind of plot bunny fodder, because there’s so much that is weird about this world. \u00a0I’m addicted to all sorts of non-fiction, although my tastes run currently to quantum physics, astronomy and food. \u00a0I also love history.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So when I hear folks tell me “I don’t read, because I don’t want to get ideas from others,” it makes me sad. \u00a0It makes me wonder what they missed out on, and if they even realize it. \u00a0To me, reading is like breathing. \u00a0I can go without food. \u00a0I can’t go without books, and honestly, I think my writing is the better for it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I’m often asked for my advice to new or aspiring writers, and my best advice (other than sit in the chair and write) is simply “Read.” \u00a0Read whatever you can get your hands on, whether it is good or bad or indifferent. \u00a0Read everything. \u00a0Read anything.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Just read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I know, second week, and already, I’m not giving you a review. \u00a0However, I’m still in the middle of the books (yes, plural) that I’m currently reading, and I don’t want to give you guys a half-assed review. \u00a0So instead, I’m going to give you my thoughts on reading. I’ve always been a reader. …<\/p>\n