IWSG: A Happy Medium

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a community of writers who share ideas and encourage other writers. It's a great place to express doubts and concerns as well as offer and receive tribulations and guidance from other writers. IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. I think you'll find it to be a great writer's resource that's well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with some of the other IWSG writers/bloggers at IWSG Members.

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?