If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve been an avid reader for quite a while now. It strikes me as funny because I hated to read anything except comic books when I was a kid (into my early 20’s). Somewhere in my mid twenties, the reading bug struck me, and in the past twenty years I have read several hundred books. I wish I could say I’ve read more of the classics, but the target of my reading has most often been science fiction or religion (now there’s a fun dichotomy).

About three and a half years ago, I started to write my first book (a science fiction novel). I had never taken any writing classes (and it showed). I just wanted to see if I could do it. Well, I did do it, and I did it quick. The words just poured out of me. My family and friends loved it. So, armed with the praises of my family and being a bit naïve, I thought publishers would be knocking down my door, but it didn’t happen. So, a year and a half later, I released it as an ebook. I enjoyed some early success which fueled my belief that I was awesome until a friend ( and some mean reviews) told me the hard truth; I wasn’t awesome. I still had a lot to learn.

I’ve since taken several classes and written a few more books. With each passing book, I can see the writing improving, but the one thing I always do is keep up with my reading. Why would I take time from my busy writing and marketing schedule to read? Because to be an effective writer, you need to be a reader.  Reading informs your writing style and helps keep your creativity alive, but there’s another reason you should read. Reading can motivate you to be a better writer. Reading can be exciting, and every writer will tell you the same thing. No one sets out to write a terrible book, but if you don’t have that reservoir of books you’ve read to pull from, you just might.