READ!

Seems pretty commonsense, right?  I don’t understand when students or writers say they don’t read.

I think it’s common knowledge that reading helps you gain knowledge. Some of the most intelligent and sensitive people I know are not (or not only) college graduates, but are readers.

One faculty member said, how do writers who don’t read know what came before them. If you’re a writer, you should know who and what came before you. Whether or not you agree with them, like them, admire them, writers needs to be aware of the talent, the styles, the accepted and the outcasts who made literature what it is today.

One writer said – it ruins her style to read other writers.  What is her style and how did she come up with idea of style if she hasn’t read other writers?

Numerous articles and books cite findings and research that state readers are more empathetic, understand human motivations, reactions, and emotions, than non-readers. How do you write an authentic character not having an understanding of these basic things?

Intelligence – so many people like to cite those people who didn’t finish college. (I did another blog about this.) But they read! They worked! They learned their craft prior to becoming successful.

We read not only for these things, but to form our own opinions, to be able to think critically about the world around us, to continue to grow and understand the world around us.

I mean, yeah, definitely, you can stay stuck in your little narrow world. Good luck with that. With the world of self-publishing, you can still publish something and call yourself a writer, too.

BUT – what have you learned? what can you pass on?

Our purpose lies in more than publishing and calling ourselves writers. Our purpose is to spread knowledge, add to the conversation of literature, to become better people than we are so we can positively affect others.

Have you heard that old saying, “Hard work won’t kill you, but why take chances”?

Well, a good book won’t kill ya, take the plunge.

BTW – Author Interview – Leonard Foster took time to interview me for his blog. Thanks, Leonard!