[This post was originally published on Smutwriters.com, a blog for erotica and romance authors.]

If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. – Stephen King, On Writing

Recently someone asked me whether my writing has changed the way I read, and specifically the way I read erotica.

We all know that reading changes the way you write. Whenever I read David Foster Wallace, I start to write more and more like David Foster Wallace. It’s terrible, especially since David Foster Wallace (as far as I know) never wrote romantic stuff. But the other way around is also a transformative process. Writing does change the way you read.

1. Writers are more voracious readers.

Read, read, read. Read everything-trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.

-William Faulkner

As a writer, I’ve found myself seeking out many more books than normal. I’ve always been a heavy reader, but lately I’ve found myself reaching for books at any moment in the day. When I go to the library to return a book, I always end up with three more. I think it’s because now I have the excuse that reading for me is actually professional development. Stay in bed and read all day? That’s so productive!

2. Writers are more appreciative readers.

When a book touches your spirit and transports you to a place you’ve never been, it’s not uncommon for you to read the last page, turn the book over and start at Page 1 to figure out how the author did that.- Jenny Hansen

Whenever I read a book now, I’m always amazed at how quickly and easily the author sucks me into their world. I’ve always tended to reread good books, but lately I’ve found myself poring over pages repeatedly, being amazed at how effortless it all seems. The last book I read that I immediately had to reread was Child of God by Cormac McCarthy. I ended up reading it three times in a week (it’s a short book) because the language was just so amazing. Some people claim that reading good authors makes them depressed – after all, I’ll never write like McCarthy – but for me, it’s just nice to be able to recognize and appreciate genius on a whole new level.

3. Writers are more involved readers.

Our accumulating findings are providing increasing support for the hypothesis that reading fiction facilitates the development of social skills because it provides experience thinking about other people. That is, we think the defining characteristic of fiction is not that it is made up but that it is about human, or humanlike, beings and their intentions and interactions. - Scientific American

While readers may be developing their people skills by reading, writers are developing their reading skills by writing. I used to simply let myself become engaged in a story, without fully appreciating the language, character development, or structure of the book. Of course I still let myself fall into a book without thinking too much about it, but more and more I find myself slowing down to examine exactly how the author achieved a certain effect. It’s allowed me to engage with books at a deeper level, and I think I’m a better reader for it.

Okay, sometimes it’s hard to switch off “writer mode” and enjoy a story. With erotica, I sometimes find that I am less turned on during a sex scene while I’m reading it. Instead, I’m analyzing their use of sensory description and taking notes on how they tie the sex back into the character development. Then I remember that I should take off my writer’s hat and just go along for the ride.