Reading is essential

For a writer, reading is essential.

One of the many points that Stephen King makes in his 2000 book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” is that good writers read __ and they read a lot. King apparently reads books by the score. I don’t read that much but I read quite a lot of books and a handful of magazines.

I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, although I sometimes get a kick out of listening to a book on tape. (I particularly like a book on tape if I am driving a long distance alone.) Reading helps you see how other authors write and can help you develop your own writing style. It also can show you things other authors like and things they like to avoid.

Stephen King, for example, hates adverbs. Really hates them, apparently. He says they are lazy. As a result of King, I notice adverbs more in other authors and try harder to avoid their use. I still use adverbs but not as much as before I read King’s book. And he is right. Many times writers use them because it is easy and quick.

This is a sample of the books I have read this year. It is not a complete listing and I picked these books nearly at random. They are in no particular order. Most of them I read for the first time, although Rihannsu by Diane Duane contains two volumes, one of which I had previously read, and I read Skipping Christmas annually at Christmas time. Only two of the authors __ Milton McGriff and Hank Phillippi Ryan __ have I ever met.

2236 by Milton McGriff

Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Rihannsu, The Bloodwing Voyages by Diane Duane

The Empty Chair by Diane Duane

Bushworld. Enter at Your Own Risk by Maureen Dowd

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The Oriental Express by Agatha Christie

I look forward to a time when readers say about me, “I have read him.” I'm still working on that.

Keep the faith and don’t give up writing.