Reading is Essential to Writing

I hate myself for saying it,but I really do miss out on the idea of writing for the joy of writing. Blogging has allowed me to do that in a way that never was ascertainable before. I enjoy the camaraderie writers on Twitter tend to have form one-another, because we all want to make it writing, even if it is just a hobby that occasionally pays some extra money towards rent. Truth is, we just love doing this, every day, week, or even for the most dedicated of us, every few hours. Yet sometimes we fail to stop, and read. I notice that I grow tired with my writing if I don't read for a while, because I never really get through an entire manuscript without reading several books alongside, and it definitely helps the final product. So instead of discussing writing for this week's blogpost, I'm going to discuss reading, something we tend to forget to do as writers. Reading is a fundamental tool to writing. Even some of the greatest writers of all time began to suffer because they were so unread. Boiler pot novels from the likes of Herman Melville are great reads, but as books, they were written at a time when word count was how you made a dime in the business. Everyone claims they want to read as much as possible, but really, a documentary is just as engaging, and a fraction of the time it,takes to actually read a standard nonfiction book. So do we really read enough? As writer, does it affect our style if we don't read as much as say the next writer? I mean, aren't we supposed to be honing our capabilities, not spending every single waking moment without eyes pressed up against text? Reading is essential to anyone that wants to develop a voice, because it's not reading books that develops your style, but it helps you avoid needless misrepresentation of you, in comparison to all other writers. Despite having such a strong community, we fail to forget we are all in competition against one another. The unique aspect of the writing career is that we are all actually trying to le ran from one-another, all-the-while were trying to outdo our competition, but this is adherent lay friendlier than how most careers cutthroat their competitors. So books are like our secret weapon to use against our competition, like preparing against a snake style of Kung Fu with Crane styles, or jujitsu against Thai kickboxing. We all bring something unique to the table that will shock our competitors, hence why reading is important for you as a writer. Granted it takes more than reading books to develop your writing style, and I've spoken about this topic before, but I am sick of people saying we all need to read more, but that's about as deep as the conversation goes, no one suggests how to get the country reading again! I'm not stupid, I know many people read, book sales would not be as high as they are today if it weren't for readers, but the case that is made is more about the youth, rather than the older generations that still love to curl up with a good book. That's kind of the issue there, a "good" book has become a sacred treasure one has to search out, and even with more books being published, both physicist and e-book markets rising, the concept of volatile literature is much harder to scour, seeing as reviews are no longer done by critics, but by anyone who has actually known the author personally, and rabid fans that refute the truth, as it would harm the reputation of their idol. We write the reviews, and we barely finish the book before posting said reviews. Say what you want about my book reviews (excluding only one early review) but I read the books before posting reviews, because it just makes sense to read a book through, especially if it's up for review! Okay, enough griping from me; I tend not to care much about such meaningless arguments because the fact is that there are great books from history that are still out there, and even many great books written in the past decade to have you back to writing with a fresh perspective. I read a lot of Terry Pratchett, Margaret George, and Orson Scott Card. I've read plenty of authors in my life that have been intriguing influences on me, most recently I began the last half of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and I finally after years of procrastination, finished Moby-Dick. I the read Charles Olson's Call Me Ishmael, and that too was an incredible experience, even though I found it a bit asinine. The books we read, measured to what we write, are always being influenced by how much we agree, or disagree with the writer's intent. I could read Marquis De Sade, and spout off for days about liberty, although he can be a pain in the ass to complete, I would recommend Philosophy in the Bedroom, only because it sums up all of Sade's eclectic styles, and you almost feel like you're observing a masturbation, with some light reading in-between. His short story Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man (or Atheist) is another great reflection of the man's writing style. However you perceive the Marquis, most will agree that his writing style is limited, as his stories all seem to be the same thing: all shock, and no substance. If you want dirtier, the Twilight series is far grittier, and far worst as reading material, but when I hear what I would let my own children read, I would much prefer De Sade over the likes of Stephanie Meyers. Then again, both are equally horrible in such polarizing ways, I can't imagine how either have held up in this age of self-publishing. The scope of books today is that we should read what makes us.interested,that is a sophomoric view, we should read what challenges our attention, because it will be much more appreciated than something we would read on our own initiative. Read what interests you, and you'll soon discover you have very limited interests. You should read what has always intrigued you, perhaps confused you, because you learn you can become an expert on ore than one particular subject. I love to read and learn about feral children, but I also want to make sure that is not all I read for the rest of my life. I read books about all types of clinical psychoses, and I begin to expand on other intriguing symptoms. It is truly incredible the mental defects that affect humans. So that got me thinking: what sort of psychological disorders are apparent in other species? Do we share certain psychological traits with other creatures? Surely we can't be the only species on Earth that suffers from mental ailments. Sure, I could "Google" (I despise using that as a verb!) the answer, but that would only limit. Y intrigue. So I search Amazon for books on the subject, and the next thing I know, I've ordered, read, and come to the conclusion that animals indeed are infected by psychological disorders that not only harm their common nature, but they share several mental disorders with humans, like manic depression. Especially dogs, who seem to almost mimic the same disorders as their owners! Now I'm being vague, but books do more for you than some documentary that only peaks interest, or a Google search that makes you move onto the next question, totally disregarding the idea that you are supposed to delve deeper I to the story, finding that wonder that comes from some extended research. As a writer, you want to take the arduous road, because sometimes it will pay off for you, and you will be able to write a far lee intriguing book. Even a little segue from your key point to shovel out some useless knowledge at the right moment will make your readership all-the-more appreciative. Whether it be blogs, books, news articles, or even for the select few that still do, newspapers, reading is a must! If you want to be a writer, you must rediscover your love for reading, or you will fail; it's quite simple. I believe that you will find reading to be nearly as essential to your writing than simply remembering what you learned in grade school and college English. Writing isn't just about creativity, it is about harnessing the voices of long-ago to reshape a story and tell it I. A way that is unique to your character, but by using those influences, it won't sound like rubbish. I could list a ton of books you should read, but there are way too many, and I'm sure you know what is best for you. Truthfully, you should read something new and develop off that. If you choose a good book you'll want to read on, or follow adjacent subjects covered I. The text. If not, you have a did, and there are plenty of them ,so you will wallow through many books that just aren't worth your time. I do believe that most people shouldered a multitude of fiction, at least once, until they discover what they love. I love crossover genres, because it creates components not normally found in modern genre literature. The James Bond novels were some of the first that really redefined the action genre, adding Sci-Fi, romance, and sex appeal that was brutally English. Comedy horrors, like the recent David Wong books John Dies at The End, and This Book is Full of Spiders, are great examples,of being funny, while being absolutely terror flying in other instances. Reading is you discovering you, and learning from the genius, and the mistakes of the past. I'm sure most of you out there understand this logic, but I think a friendly reminder is good on occasion. Never forget: writing is your skill, a word processor is your tool, and books are your muse. You can't expect one to work well without the others. So read, even if it's minimal, even if your sick of it, or when you've come to a stop sign I your current project. Read, and enjoy life, to a writer, that is redundant. Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorial, Twitter: Twitter.com/mcasteditorial E-Mail: mcasteditorial@yahoo.com More blog posts will be up soon, I have a very belated review of The Last of Us, but it's so interesting of a review, I'm still apt to publish it soon. I also have the first official post of the summer: The Game That Changed My Life, but I'm not sure if that will be up as soon as the rest of them, it has been a rough couple of weeks with going through what I've written for the blog, but I hope to have. Ore fabulous albeit older blog posts up soon.