This is a question that has been asked at every new writer panel that I have attended. Do we really have to read to be a writer? The quick answer is yes… but not forever.

One of my secret shames as an author is that I am not a reader. I consider myself to be a storyteller because I originally went to school for film where I was interested in behind the camera production work and preproduction development. So when I decided to take my storytelling skills to a different long-form-writing format, I honestly wondered the same thing.

Everyone I had ever heard answer this question says a blanket yes you must, because reading is one of the best ways to understand story flow, pacing, and plotting, but most importantly you begin to understand the real reason to read: Genre.

Genre expectations are one of the most important aspects of writing a book that will sell. If you are making story promises that align with what the reader is expecting, such as in romance where a happily ever after (or happily for now) is required, and then you decide not to give them a happily ever after there’s a very good chance you’re going to piss off your audience.

Although you can pick up primary genre beats in films and other mediums, it won’t be until you have read through a wide variety of styles within your genre that you’ll be able to pick up the nuances, the tropes, the way to subvert those tropes, and trends.

Unfortunately, there is no magic number on how many books you need to read. As with most things involving art, it will be entirely unique to your brain. But overall, I believe you must read to understand writing at least in the beginning.

The second reason you need to read to be a writer is to be able to communicate with other writers. Writerly discussion is a natural course, and one typical topic is why that book? When a book flies off the shelves and it does crazy things in the charts, it’s helpful to read it and break it down with other authors to discover what makes that book special. The easiest way of discussing the “science” behind a bestseller is by reading it. Think of it like a sophisticated book club, one that you will be able to distill usable information from and apply it practically to your own work.

If you are looking to jump on a popular bandwagon, then you’re gonna have to pay attention to where the wagon came from.

Understanding current trends will depend on whether or not your primary focus of writing books is to sell them, is to have readers, or is simply for the joy of it. If you are writing purely for your own joy, it’s not as necessary to keep track of trends and popular tropes, but it is still helpful, and gives you common ground with other authors and readers. But in this case, you do you, and as long as it’s making you happy, then you’re a success.

A third reason why you need to read as a writer, is because craft books are wonderful resources. Although I love watching authors on YouTube sharing mini lessons, when I need to understand a subject more fully, I turn to craft books so I can take my time digesting the problem from an approachable, in depth way (depending on the book, of course).

Reading engages a different part of the brain, plus I’m able to easily take notes. I find that the information sticks better because I’m a slow reader, so every time that I sit down to dedicate myself to a book, my brain must stay entirely focused on that page to track any of the information. This is in part why audio books that I need to pay attention to are not a good fit for me. With audio, I multitask and it’s great if I’m driving or washing dishes, but anything more complicated and my brain starts totally ignoring the story. That said audio books are an amazing way for people to digest a lot of story in a shorter period of time, however I don’t recommend entirely replacing reading the words on the page if possible.

So my three main arguments in favor of reading books: understand reader expectations and baseline craft of your chosen genre, read popular bestsellers to help you discuss and breakdown what works in the current trends, and to read educational books to level up specifics of the craft.

But here are two reasons why you don’t need to be an obsessive reader: story can be found everywhere.

Film is an awesome way to intake story. You get a condensed story line with character arcs and a progression of plot in a digestible hour long episode, or a multi-hour movie . You will be hard pressed to find many full length novels to read in only two hours (novellas and short stories, however, are excellent for this). It is also easier to maintain a beat on pop culture and open up more topics for discussion with other writers and viewers. It may be a different medium that relies on multiple senses in order to fully deliver the emotional impact of its story, but it does not diminish the fact that you are adding more narratives to your mental library of creative ideas. You can also digest story from video games such as Boulders Gate 3 which has an excellent story line that progresses not only for the plot but also the characters. So no, you don’t have to always be a hardcore reader in order to be a writer.

The second reason why you don’t have to be a reader is because if you are resistant to reading, then you might always be. Forcing yourself to do something that is either unenjoyable, difficult, or doesn’t fit into the realities of your life, has the tendency to breed resentment. So if you’re not a reader, don’t stress. Take a period of time and force yourself for the sake of your education and betterment, but much like taking a college course, know that it is temporary. You can (and I recommend you do) go through periods of absorption to refill your creativity with books and other media, but as long as you are constantly adding to your list of story elements that help you build the stories you want to tell, then you are on the right path.

So don’t give up, get some of the hard work out of the way, and get back to writing.

And, as always, stay awesome!