I do not know where I first heard it, and I do not even know who first said it (so I can’t attribute the quote) but there is a saying that goes around writing communities that “Good writers are good readers.”

I think this is a generally accepted fact, but I still wanted to talk about it today. Not every reader is a writer, but every good writer is a reader. I’m sure there are 101 reasons for this, but from my experience, here are a few reasons why writers must be readers:

Reading helps us gain inspiration. I’ve been talking about inspiration a lot lately, but that is because it is so important for writers, and in the end, for everyone. Reading good books gives writers ideas for their own stories and the courage to write those stories. If *insert your favorite author’s name* can do it, so can you!

Reading fills our creative well. Art, music, writing, and other similar careers or hobbies require creativity. If we do nothing but work work work, our creativity runs out. There are many ways to fill a creative well, such as trying a different art form, going on a walk, or watching a movie. But a huge way for writers to fill a creative well is to sit down with their favorite book and read. “Filling your creative well” is about taking a break to do something you love to avoid burnout. Everyone needs breaks no matter what your job is, but for writers, if your breaks are not something that refreshes your creativity (things like social media usually do NOT) you will quickly find yourself running out of ideas for the story you love.

Reading helps us understand story concepts and structure. In order to understand how to write a good story, one must first read good stories. We can learn from those who have done well before us by examining different plots, characters, and settings. Many good stories follow a similar structure that works well, and straying away from that structure too much causes readers to lose interest. By looking at our favorite books we can see how all the pieces of a story fit together in a way that makes it compelling and memorable.

Reading helps us appreciate stories. Stories are important. They shape the way we see things and think about things and they should grow our characters even as we watch the story characters grow. And stories are fun. Not every part of every story has to be to make your reader a better person. A huge purpose of fiction is to teach while entertaining. Thus comes the entertaining part. Stories should be humorous, beautiful, exciting, emotional, and just plain fun! Reading good books reminds us of these truths and helps us have fun with our own stories.

Reading tells us which stories have already been told and which ideas work. Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down and perhaps finished in the wee hours of the morning? But what about a book that seemed like it would be interesting but it didn’t work and you couldn’t seem to finish it? What was the difference? Maybe it was the characters, or the plot, or the writing itself. There are just some books that are better than others and some stories that are better than others. When we read a wide variety of books, we see what works and what doesn’t. We also know which stories have already been written. Sometimes a writer may have a story idea that is similar to a book that already exists. If you have an idea about modern gladiator games for teens in a futuristic dystopian world or a book about a hidden magic world inside a wardrobe, maybe you should write a different story and just enjoy some reading. That being said, similar ideas do well sometimes, you just have to make sure they are unique and different enough from other books.

Reading teaches us how to write well. Reading good books helps us learn more about how to create a good story, and reading also teaches us how to write well. Every author has a unique voice and their own way of telling the story they’ve created. Reading truly does rub off on writers by showing good sentence structure, improving vocabulary, writing beautiful descriptions, and exemplifying excellent dialogue. The more you read, the easier it is to write well. In addition, writers often become a combination of their favorite authors’ voices to create yet another unique writing style. This is a huge leap in writing a book!

If you don’t like reading, why do you want to write a book in the first place? I don’t have much else to say on this one, but if you don’t love books, you shouldn’t write one. Maybe you’re a good writer, maybe you have ideas, but if movies or plays or articles are what you really love, then perhaps you should try one of those. If you’re going to put that much effort into something, it should be something you love. So if books aren’t for you, then writing a book probably isn’t either.

Comment below with some reasons why you think reading is important for writers— or anyone!