Many thanks to the awesome co-hosts for the May 3 posting of the IWSG: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone!
I am, and have always been, a reader. As a child, given a choice between watching television or reading, I'd pick the book every single time. And today, one of my favorite pastimes is curling up in my porch swing with a good book. In more recent years, I've become a reviewer - a pretty good one, I think, judging by the number of requests for reviews I receive and from the positive comments from review followers on sites like Goodreads and Amazon. I've discovered I enjoy reading a book and expressing my thoughts on what worked and/or didn't by writing a review for other readers. An added bonus? Strengthening and honing my craft as writing reviews helps me cultivate new & unique ways to entice readers . . . and isn't that the goal of every writer?
Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others; read a lot and write a lot." My biggest challenge is finding a happy medium between the two. I find it too easy to give up when my current work in progress isn't going as planned and settle in with a good read instead. Definitely a balancing act, but one that's dear to my heart as my two favorite things to do is read and write. And when I say "write" - I mean anything . . . reviews, books, articles, short stories, letters (yes, I'm talking snail mail) . . . heck, even a shopping list. I love the feeling and sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing my words on paper - be it pen and paper or a computer screen.So, I'm wondering how many of you agree with Stephen King. Do you have to be a reader before you can be a writer? How many books do you read a month? A year? Do you take time to write reviews for those books? They say the best way to thank an author is to write a review. Have you thanked your favorite author lately?
4 comments:
Mr. King is on the money - reading and writing. Can't have one without the other. Reading anything and everything is the best way to keep our writer's mind and imagination sharp and open to possibility. My reading fixations span all genres because my creative mind is always hungry.
I really like mixing it up by reading all genres also. I agree it helps stimulate a writer's creativity - often sparking new ideas. Thanks so much for hosting this month, Nancy!
I'd take any writing advice Stephen King offered seriously, Sandra! He is a phenomenal writer. I read 15 to 20 books a year, but most of them are long ones. I really need to push that number up; it seems like a small number. I rarely write a review of a book, and only if I whole-heartedly like it and can say positive things. Happy reading and writing to you in May!
I've read King's "On Writing" a couple of times...fascinating! I write as many reviews as I possibly can as I know how important they are to authors. Thanks for stopping by Fundy Blue.
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