Reading - should you do more of it?

You may have heard the well known saying:

To become a writer, you've got to be a reader first.

To all intents and purposes I wholeheartedly agree with this. If you have an idea of the kind of book you'd like to write, you should read a lot of books like this. See what's been done, see what has worked well and what hasn't. You may even find that you think your idea is a bit more original than what you've read!

That is not the end of this article though. Because we're not asking the question, 'should I read a lot?' we're asking: should you do more of it?

So how much are you reading? And is there some magic number of books we should aim to read every year?

In 2018 Stephen King tweeted that he reads around 80 books a year.

So that's one number we could put on how much to read a year and that would leave most of us having to read more. But reading is different for everyone and number's don't mean much on an individual basis.

If you want to know if you should read more one way to find out is by answering the very scientific quiz below!

Should you read more - quiz!:

Do you want to read more? Yes/No

Are you stuck when writing when it comes to knowledge? Yes/No

Are you stuck when writing in trying to find your voice? Yes/No

Are you struggling to understand the genre you want to write in? Yes/No

Are you generally a bit stuck when it comes to your writing? Yes/No

If you answered 'Yes' to one or more of those questions, you probably could do with reading more! (Trust me, it's definitely scientific...) Read on to find out how to do this:

How can you read more?

Even if you're not a writer, books have the ability to open our minds. Whether the book is a beach-flick or Dante's Inferno, allowing a different voice in your head letting the words create a world in your mind are great for your imagination and creativity. You'll also have a lot more to talk about.

1. Remind yourself why you read. It's easy to forget how rewarding reading is when the tele or Instagram is beckoning as a mindless way to wind down. Remind yourself how happy and relaxed reading leaves you. Remember the last good books you read and start with something fun and easy! Maybe even ask someone else if they've read one of your favourite books to remind yourself how fun it is to talk about books!

2. Set a goal and keep a record of what you read. The website and app good reads is a great site where you can set yourself yearly reading goals and record what you've read. If you're like me and find it hard to remember everything you've read when someone asks for a recommendation, this is also a great way to keep track.

3. Listen to audio books and have eBooks on your phone. Another way to 'read' more is to listen to audiobooks. In the UK most libraries have a way to sign up to the BorrowBox app. You can download audio books and eBooks here for free so you never have an excuse that you forget to bring a book as they'll all be on your phone! With audiobooks be sure to only listen when you can pay attention. I find it best to listen when I'm driving, cleaning, cooking or having a bath! You can concentrate on the book then and keep your mind from wandering by focusing part of your brain on the easy tasks at hand.

Reading before writing

I've just started writing my next novel and I've now attempted the start about four times, in different voices, styles, eras, you name it. It's a historical fiction so I definitely need to do my research before writing it. So far I think one of the reasons I've struggled is not reading enough around the subject yet! Not only does reading widely give you a broad idea of how to write, it also helps you know what to write and can give you more ideas than just thinking about things in isolation.

So overall, reading more = writing well. There's definitely something to be said for writing what you know, and if you don't know books, it won't be that easy to write one.

Thank you for reading our article this week! Tell us in the comments if you'd like to read more and if you're going to try and of our suggestions on this list!

Happy writing and reading!

Sarah x