Sunday, February 16, 2025

Five Benefits of Reading for Writers

It’s been fun in recent weeks reading about the most enjoyed and/or best books of 2024, whether it was an article by a blogging buddy, Barnes & Noble, or the New York Times.  Without readers, writers would be out of work.  

Writers need to read too.  But, as a writer, are you reading enough?  It’s an important question to ask, especially with all the demands in our busy lives.  

But shouldn’t you devote all of your available time to writing rather than allocating some of it to reading?  Definitely not!

Reading ~ A Worthwhile Pursuit
Aurora, Colorado, USA
January 9, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

If you research what authors say about the importance of reading to writing, you will find many thoughts on the connection between the two.  One of my favorite quotes is Stephen King’s, “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.  Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.”  Stephen King’s On Writing.  A Memoir of the Craft  

Another favorite of mine is Annie Proulx’s “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page.  Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”  Goodreads

Here are five benefits of reading for writers:

1.  Reading improves our language and writing skills:  When we read, we unconsciously pick up writing techniques like extending our vocabulary, improving our phrasing, using effective dialogue, and understanding structure.  

If we consciously read like a writer, we can analyze the writer's word choices, grammar, point of view, plotting, pacing, setting, and characterization and decide what makes it effective or not. Then we can use this knowledge to improve our writing.  

When I read a great book, I often read it a second time to understand how the author made it great.  And sometimes, I'll reread a not-so-great book to understand how the author missed the mark.  

Great Fun!  Reading a Friend's Books and Asking Him Questions About His Writing
Fellow IWSG Admin Pat Hatt and I
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 27, 2024
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved

2.  Reading improves our thinking:  We are bombarded daily by eye-catching social media that is fragmenting our attention and decreasing our ability to concentrate.  By engaging with more complex texts, like an essay or a book, we can learn to focus our attention better and to improve our ability to concentrate.  This in turn sustains us when we grapple with the challenges of writing.

3.  Reading broadens our experience:  George R. R. Martin wrote in A Dance with Dragons, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen.  The man who never reads lives only one.” Goodreads

When we read widely across genres, we expose ourselves to different perspectives, cultures, places, and times.  Reading increases our ability to understand and to have empathy for people different from us.  These experiences can ignite our imaginations and inspire ideas for our own writing.

4.  Reading helps us understand the publishing market:  Reading books in the genres you write helps you know what has already been written, what trends are emerging, what your target audience prefers, and how to improve your writing for the current market.

5.  It's fun!  If it's not, you might ask yourself why you are writing.  Would you want to eat a meal prepared by a chef who didn't like food?  Or dive with a divemaster who hated the ocean?  

So, as a writer, are you reading enough?
Perhaps you can share other reasons for spending some of your valuable time reading.  
I'd love to hear them!

What was your favorite read in 2024?
Mine was actually the last two books in Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem series:  The Dark Forest and Death's End.  Mind blowing story, compelling characters, brilliant writing, philosophy, and quantum physics ~ After reading this series, I can never look at the universe in the same way as I once innocently did. 

Pam Allyn, a renowned literacy expert, educator, and author said,  “Reading is like breathing in; writing is like breathing out.  literacy worldwide   

May you breathe deeply, in and out.




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue.

 

Monday, February 10, 2025

An Interview with Tom Bromley

The Insecure Writers' Support Group is excited to introduce our readers to Tom Bromley. He's spent many years in the key aspects of this writing business and offers his expertise to those who are pursuing a career in this challenging field.

And now...meet Tom!

Interview

Your writing journey started with a passion for storytelling. What inspired you to write your first book, and how did that experience shape your career as a writer?

I started writing when I was playing in bands after college and everyone else got up later than me, so I had some time to myself! The first book I tried went nowhere, but when the band split up, I wrote a novel based around my band experiences and that became my first published novel. I learned on the job writing that book – I did five drafts over five years and taught myself how to write in the process through trial and error. Mainly error!

Having spent over two decades in publishing as an editor, publisher, and ghostwriter, how has working on so many different projects – and areas of publishing – influenced your perspective on writing?

I would hope it gives me a more rounded approach. So I try to remember the writer’s sensibilities when editing and bring that editorial eye in when rewriting my own work. Working on all those books tends to reinforce your beliefs about writing, and to understand how trends may come and go, but good writing lasts.

What’s one key lesson you’ve learned from working in the publishing industry that you think every aspiring novelist should know?

That getting published isn’t a panacea. You’re still there, at your desk, staring at the computer, working out what to write next. And those insecurities don’t go away, they change: instead of ‘am I good enough to get published?’ they become ‘am I good enough to stay published?’ instead.



Are you a plotter or a pantser? Can you tell us more about how you prepare to write your books, and the importance of preparation more generally?

I personally think that split is a little too binary – it’s more of a sliding scale between the two and the key is to work out the sweet spot of freedom/planning that works for you. I like to keep things fairly simple in terms of plotting for my fiction: I have an overall story arc of where I want to get to, but don’t know how I’m going to get there. That said, I do tend to base my books around specific real-life events, which helps create a natural structure in the background to work with.

For writers starting a new project, why is understanding their story’s theme crucial? Can it evolve as the story develops?

Possibly slightly controversial, but I’d disagree with the question. What is important when starting a project are the characters and the plot, and everything else falls into place after that. The theme should come out of what you write, rather than trying to fit the writing around it. For me, approaching a novel by beginning with a theme feels like the wrong way around.

Outlines can provide a helpful guide when writing, but stories often take unexpected turns. What are some of the signs that it’s time to deviate from the original plan, and how should writers approach these changes?

As I say, I don’t outline too heavily in my writing. That’s partly because I like the freedom to discover the story as I write, but it also allows for the narrative to change as you write it. I’d say that the key to a lot of plotting is character – as long as the change fits into their progression as a character, then go for it.

What’s your favorite piece of advice for writers looking to finish their first draft, especially those feeling stuck midway?

Don’t go back! It’s so tempting to rewrite but that leads to an endless loop of trying to get things perfect. You’re in a much better place having a full draft to work with as you can see the bigger picture at that point. The midway point can be hard – it’s a bit like being at sea when the wind drops. But the wind will pick up again – you’ve just got to keep going and you’ll see land eventually!

You’ve created a 3-month novel-writing course for Reedsy. Can you walk us through how the course is structured and what makes it unique?

The course is 101 days in length, with a daily video lesson every Monday to Friday and a panel of authors each weekend. The weeks are themed around different writing topics to guide you through the process of writing. We want you to get to the end of the draft by the end of the course. Think of it as Masterclass meets NaNoWriMo!

Who would benefit most from this course? Is it suitable for beginners, or can it also help more experienced writers looking to develop their writing skills?

The course is suited to anyone wanting to write – and get the support to write – the first draft of their novel. It works best when you come to the course with some idea of what you want to write; coming without an idea, you might struggle to begin with. I’ve tried to calibrate the teaching so you’ll learn something new whatever level you’re at. We have lots of first-time writers, but many experienced ones too – some who are published authors who want group support, others who have done MFAs or written non-fiction books in the past.

For writers planning to write a novel this year, what advice would you give to help them stay motivated and on track?

Keep writing. That sounds a banal thing to say, but even if you can only carve out thirty minutes a day, you’ll be surprised how those words add up. Give yourself a target but don’t beat yourself up if you get behind. You’ll have good days and bad days, so roll with the punches. Finding a support network can help – whether fellow writers on a course or a local writing group, their encouragement and feedback can prove invaluable in getting over the line. Good luck!

Conclusion

Registrations are now open for Tom’s novel-writing course, How to Write a Novel, which starts on March 3rd. If you’d like a sneak peek of the course, create an account to get a free lesson on creating compelling characters. 

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Changing Old Stories


The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

February 5 question - Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

Perhaps it’s a trunk story you just haven’t pulled out again for whatever reason.
Maybe it’s a short story you submitted without success.
It could be a published story, one that you know you need to edit but haven’t done so or felt it easier just to take it down.
And there’s the possibility it’s a story or book through a publisher that you might not be able to change.

Do any of your stories fall into any of those categories? If you want to change or edit it, why haven’t you/can’t you?

* * *

Last month, we partnered with Reedsy for their writing prompts contest. The theme was Great Expectations and there were hundreds of entries. The IWSG admins were the final round of judging and we selected “Humanity’s Rebirth” by Reese Blaise as the winner. You can view the top three winners and read their entries HERE. Congratulations to the winner and top entries and thank you to everyone who entered.


Is there a story you’d like to change and why?