Reading Does Not Make You a Better Author: Considering an Old Maxim

Disclaimer: I'm seriously disqualified to write this article but I'm going ahead with it. To date my literary efforts consist of a handful of articles and projects under construction. In keeping with the situation then, I suggest you read the following as my personal writing philosophy and nothing more.)

I've heard said a thousand times. If you want to be a good writer, read good books.

Now, I love a good book. I certainly enjoy the efforts of specific authors including Jules Verne, Jonathan Swift, Arthur Conan Doyle, Walter R. Brooks, Harry Turtledove, Mark Twain and Robert Heinlein to name a few. But none of these helped me learn to write. Sure, their styles rubbed off on me in various ways, especially Brooks' down to earth language that voiced his farmyard tales. However, I assert again that no author of fiction I have ever read taught me how to write.

There is, however, an important distinction between being an excellent writer and telling an engaging story. With practice, anyone can actually be a skilled wordcrafter. Throw in a few ponderous prose and pithy points and you've constructed a prosaic masterpiece. But stories take more work and different skills. In fact, some the greatest story tellers of all time would not rank among the greatest writers of all time (e.g. Jules Verne and James F. Cooper).

Reading books, or at least fictional books anyway, never truly inspired me to write anything. Why? Because the ideas are finished, the story complete. It's the equivalent of trying to decipher a recipe from the finished product. Using the silver screen as a concrete personal example, Star Wars: IV-VI failed to inspire my creativity. The documentary Empire of Dreams about the making of the classic Space Saga set the wheels turning. Following the development of the films from seed form showed me how a story came to life and gave me inspiration to try my hand.

Many years ago, I wove a narrative in my head simply watching an open elevator at the mall go up and down. A rather odd narrative of how a man survives in one for twenty four hours during a power outage, but a narrative notwithstanding. Currently I am bringing a literary brain-child to life after a lengthy period of time spent crafting the fictional universe where the events unfold. Much began before viewing Empire of Dreams but even the seed of this untitled adventure did not come from reading, but from the day-dreaming mind of a boy chopping wood. Other ideas were children of a bored imagination on long car rides.

So, what's the point of this article? Really, I just want to establish goals for my own writing, both her at the Lion's Alcove and in whatever other medium I engage. A non-negotiable rule for me is to never write for the sake of writing, nor to write about the same thing twice unless coming from another perspective; to never write an article devoid of purpose and simply substitute flowery prose and trendy blogging cliches for heartfelt meaning.

I don't want to write in order to make people feel warm and fuzzy, I want to write so I can prod them. A "pen" (a digital pen in this case) might be mightier than the sword but it still has a pointy end, all the better for provoking a reaction. Laughter or anger, sadness, or confusion, I don't care. And sure, the fuzzies have their place too, just not with every post.

So back to my original assertion. Yes, reading good books makes your writing better I suppose but personally I gain more actual inspiration from other sources, be it histories, daily activities, conversations- the list goes on. At the end of the day, discover your own source of inspiration and follow it.