Reading time: About 3 minutes
Reading will cost you only your time. But it will pay you back by teaching you how to write. Here’s how to read your way to better writing…
When I meet with writers, one of my first questions is often, “What do you like to read?”
This isn’t just social chit-chat. It’s my way to understand influences that affect people’s writing lives. It also helps me gauge the problems they’re likely to encounter in their work.
Our writing sounds like what we read — in the same way cooks develop palates and techniques from the cuisines they eat… Athletes pick up the style of play from sports they watch and take part in… Musicians develop their sound based on what they listen to… Programmers write code in the style of code bases they’ve worked in.
We are all pattern-matching machines. We absorb and reproduce the patterns we’re most often exposed to, often without conscious effort. The input shapes the output.
So, if you want to be a better writer, start by becoming a better reader. Not only is this relatively easy and fun to do, it’s also free if you get your books from the library. Reading might even help you discover solutions to problems you’re facing in your own work. It’s like having a writing coach you can consult in your pajamas at 2 a.m.
Here’s some advice on how to read your way to better writing:
1-Read with a pencil (or digital equivalent)
You know I’m going to say that you need to take notes, right? Don’t just read and hope you’re going to remember what you read. Your brain is not a steel trap. It’s more like a colander — things slip through it. To combat this, mark every passage that stops you in your tracks, whether that’s in a good or a bad way. And make a quick note in the margins about your emotional reactions: Is this something that impressed you? Made you laugh? Surprised you? Bored you to tears?
If the idea of putting a mark in a book horrifies you (or if you borrowed the book from the library), then just use your cellphone to take photos of the pages you want to remember. You can mark the specific sentences you want to highlight with the little 3M arrow tags (lawyers use them for showing where to sign documents) you can get at many stationery stores. Or, you know, just get over it and write in the margins. Books that belong to you aren’t museum pieces.
Also, be sure to flag techniques you want to study or use yourself. (Copying a technique is not plagiarism.) And remember that messy notes are fine. Don’t overthink the system, and don’t make it so complicated that you never want to do it.
Finally, consider a reading journal (I’ve kept a public one since 2010) for bigger observations. I’ve kept a private one for the last 47 years, and it’s one of my most treasured possessions. Future you will thank present you.
2-Ask the diagnostic questions
These questions will vary depending on whether you’re a non-fiction or fiction writer. Non-fiction writers can ask:
- What problem does this book solve for its readers?
- What is the book’s structural logic?
- What makes this author’s voice distinctive? Word choice? Syntax? Rhythm?
- What techniques make complex ideas clear and memorable?
And fiction writers can consider:
- Where are the scene breaks? And how many of them are there?
- When does time slow down or speed up? Why?
- How did the author make me care about the characters? What details brought them to life?
- What tension kept me reading? What questions stayed unresolved?
3-Study books you love AND ones you don’t
It’s easy to focus on the books we love. Reading books like that always feels like a pleasure. But we can just as often learn really useful lessons from books we don’t like. They will teach us what to avoid.
As you read books in this category, try to diagnose why something isn’t working. It’s not about being nasty. It’s about being analytical. Even bad books have lessons to teach.
4-Read in your genre (and outside it)
This advice is essential for academics. Many academic writers limit their reading to peer-reviewed journals in their own subject areas. The problem is, much of the writing in peer-reviewed journals is, frankly, terrible. If you read only that, you will sound like it. And nobody wants to read that much passive voice.
There’s enormous value in understanding techniques from outside your genre. You’ll find fresh approaches, and you’ll avoid the echo chamber. Balance is the key. Read memoirs. Read graphic novels. Read cookbooks. Cross-pollination is where the magic happens.
5-Do deep-dives into the craft of writing
To gain the full benefit of reading as a writer, occasionally do a second read of a book focusing on only one element — perhaps the opening chapter, possibly the messy middle, maybe the end. Become obsessed with how other writers solve problems you’re wrestling with.
You can expand your knowledge by examining the same element in several different books. Focused studies like this will help you build specific skills.
And don’t forget the benefits of being a copycat. I’ve written about this before, but spending just five minutes a day copying may be the best thing you can do to help your writing. Yes, literally copying. Like a medieval monk but with better lighting and fewer Latin hymns.
Your reading is your apprenticeship
Reading like a writer is a superpower, not a burden. Start small — say just 10 to 20 minutes a day — but make it a regular part of your writing habit.
That stack of books sitting on your dresser gathering dust can become your curriculum. Not only will it be fun, but every book will give you the opportunity to level up. So, grab that pencil, crack open a spine, and start treating your reading like the advanced degree it actually is.
BONUS
The post you’ve just read also arrives in inboxes every Tuesday — and subscribers get something extra. Each week, I include a brief, subscriber-only bonus: a short paragraph featuring a practical tip about a tool, book, video, app or resource I’ve tested and loved. This bonus is never published on my website — only in the email. No fluff. No sales pitch. Just one smart recommendation to make your writing life easier. Subscribe to my newsletter to get next Tuesday’s bonus.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to deal with fear of failure. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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How do you read your way to better writing? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Feb. 28/26, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the related posts links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
