Jean E. Pendziwol
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The Art of Reading

30/5/2016

6 Comments

 
I love going into classrooms to talk to students about my writing and my books and all the fantastic things about being an author. I usually field questions about how many kids I have (three, but they’re all taller than me), whether I have any pets (one loveable mutt and three sometimes-egg-laying chickens) and how much money make (I haven’t quit my day-job).
 
Now that I have an adult novel in the works (The Light Keeper’s Daughters – HarperCollins 2017), there is a new audience interested in my process and my road to “success” -- writers. Everyone seems to want to know the secret to landing that elusive agent and first novel contract, whether I get up at 5:00 am to write? (hell no…), if I outline or free flow the plot? (a little of both), how I stay inspired (that’s another blog post.)
 
I often end my sessions in classrooms with a question for the kids: if you want to be a good writer, what is the most important thing that you need to be doing? I get all kinds of answers, like keeping a journal, learning grammar, writing stories –  but not the one I’m looking for. If it’s taking too long for the students to figure it out, I toss it to the teachers. I’m surprised how many don’t know.
 
Now I'm asking that same question of fellow writers. What is the most important thing you need to be doing in order to be a good writer? The answer is quite simple.
 
Read.
 
Oh sure, you need to write. But you could have the best writing routine; up at dawn, a thousand word goal met every day, plot outlined on flash cards arranged on your dining room table; follow the best writing blogs, master social media, attend conferences, go on retreats, and belong to critique groups, but you cannot call yourself a good writer if you’re not a reader. You cannot write well if you are not reading well. It’s that simple. 
 
I’m not surprised when people tell me they don’t have time to read. I used to feel the same. Reading was not “productive” but rather an indulgence; an idling in a world where our lives are tightly scheduled and activities results-driven.
 
I now have a few days a week that I devote to my work as a writer. Lately, that work has been reading. I have learned to put aside any feelings of guilt about the groceries that need buying or the emails I should be answering. I have recognized that spending time pursing the art of reading is a necessary and integral part of advancing my art as a writer.
 
And when my husband finds me sitting in front of the fireplace, teacup in hand, lost in the pages of a book, I look at him and tell him quite simply, “I’m working.”
6 Comments
Brandon
30/5/2016 02:23:48 pm

Hi Jean,

Great blog.

It's funny, everyone wants to be a writer but no one wants to read - who do they think are going to buy the books if no one is reading?!?

Truth is, as you said, everything you need to know is in a great book. Study it and you can learn to write one yourself.

Reply
Jean E
30/5/2016 03:03:17 pm

Good point, Brandon. And as writers, how wonderful is it that we can learn from the greatest writers, living or dead, simply by going to the library or bookstore, picking up a copy of their book and reading it?

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Julie Allan link
30/5/2016 04:01:46 pm

Love this, I just published my first novel with another coming out this fall. I have been a lifetime avid reader. I definitely have my favorite genres, my challenge to myself is to expand my reading to books in genres I don't naturally gravitate towards. My book club has been instrumental in this, as we have an eclectic line-up. I am a teacher too and while I read year-round, I devour books in the summer months and I can hardly wait to dig in as this year comes to a close. So when someone calls and I am out on the beach lost in a book, I can tell them I am working!

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Jean E
30/5/2016 09:48:09 pm

Book clubs are a great way to be exposed to books you wouldn't otherwise choose. And isn't it great that we can take our work to the beach!?!?

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assignment writing tips link
23/5/2017 04:09:05 am

Reading and writing is important process of students. It is not tough but we need to focus on our studies. So without good hand writing we can not get the best percentage in examination.

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Adrian link
23/12/2020 12:09:00 am

Good reading

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