Writers are Readers

Writers are readers. Or should I say that good writers are readers?

If you’re a writer and you don’t read, then at the risk of offending some of you, I say that you need to re-evaluate how you spend your time. Everyone is busy, but reading is a necessary part of the writer’s job.

One needs to analyze successful books in order to understand format and structure, plot and pacing, even dialogue and character development. Why do some books become best-sellers? Is it word of mouth? Superior social media skills? Tons of advertising dollars?

All of these reasons might be valid except a book does not rise to the top of the charts if there aren’t a significant number of people reading it. And to build a large audience requires that the masses are responding positively to your work.

To get a large number of people in your corner, you have to be good and you have to know what people like. The good news is that I can’t imagine a better way to spend an hour than with a good book.