I know you’re thinking, “Of course we should read more, Caroline!” ;-)
OK. Well, allow me a little space to present the pros and cons of the issue when it comes to reading as the awesome writer you are, working on your current fabulous book.
I’m a fan of a good debate.
I’m also a fan of not giving you the answers, as those of you who have worked with me know all too well. You have the answers.
So…
Should you read more to be a better writer? Or should you read less?
True story: On LinkedIn just a few weeks ago, I wound up in a conversation with the fabulous media coach, Mary O’Donohue, about whether writers should read books related to their topic while writing their own books. I opined that not enough writers were actively engaging with their “comp titles,” those books that will sit near theirs on the shelf, or books whose methods will inform the books they are writing.
Mary shared that in writing her parenting book, she avoided reading other parenting books because she worried about subconsciously taking in other ideas or information. This is a very valid fear and can also be very good advice.
Can we both be right? I say yes.
On reading more
I talk to a lot of writers who tell me that books like they one they plan to write are at the top of their TBR. Academics who want to write trade nonfiction. Corporate ceiling-breakers who want to be the important new voice in leadership lit. Thought-leaders who have the next great women’s survival strategy.
They know they want to write a book that does X, or that argues Y, and they tell me it’s probably a lot like Awesome Book ABC sitting over on their shelf that they haven’t read yet (but they’ve “heard good things about it”).
That’s normally when I weigh in and emphastically recommend they move those books to the top of the TBR list, and maybe crack one open soon. Like, this weekend! Because while book reviews, Amazon summaries, LinkedIn posts, and conversations with friends and colleagues can give you some hint of what’s trending in the market, nothing beats reading the book yourself.
In other words, if you’re a read-the-book-before-the-movie person, you should definitely consider reading the other books before you write the book.
Reading more is important to consciously become aware of what is going on in the publishing market, and in the world in which your book will exist. Reading more means answering key questions:
What is your reader reading already?
What messages are they taking away, and what lessons are they learning?
What structures and topics are appealing to them and, by default, to publishers?
What sort of evidence is reliable and readable in your genre?
What are your readers already talking about in their book clubs?
What is missing from these current conversations about your topic that your book can add to?
What do recent books have or do in common (and, by extension, what common threads do publishers seem interested in)?
Simply put, what are publishers interested in publishing that you can use to convince them to publish your book, too?
These questions and more can only be answered by reading more.
The other great thing about reading more is that it fundamentally makes you a better writer.
I don’t care if you’re writing the next great feminist manifesto, that sci-fi novel you steal away into every night before bed is still going to inspire you with its sentence structure, its creative word choices, and its scene-setting and world-building.
Working on a memoir? Read lots of other memoirs. Every person centers themselves differently and compellingly and creatively. Admire, respect, learn, and grow from the brave writers who came before you and whose pantheon you will soon join.
To quote Anna Quindlen, "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."
Reading more of them is the journey you must take as an author.
On reading less
Back to Mary’s point…
It’s one of the great truths of publishing that you shouldn’t to write a book that’s totally unique, but it must still be totally “you.”
There is certainly risk in reading too much, particularly when you are writing your book.
For starters, you run the risk of unintentionally taking in someone else’s argument or evidence, and losing sight of where their work begins and yours ends. It can be a slippery slope from inspiration to influence, and from influence to plagiarism (I’m talking the unintentional kind. The intentional kind isn’t worth any professional’s time.)
Reading less about your topic and in the world of your topic means you significantly reduce the influence of other authors and ideas on your own work. While your book will eventually be part of the conversation, it can be a safe way to approach writing, and a secure way to ensure some level of “unique” in your text. Simply put, you are less likely to drift into the ideas, phrases, and angles of other writers on similar topics if you save reading them until after you’re finished your own book.
This can be great advice for writers who worry their idea is not yet fully formed (although is any idea, really?) or who know that they are instinctively skilled at distilling information into compelling arguments. If you’re the person who always loves all the ideas, it might be worth taking in a few less while you write.
Reading less can also help stave off imposter syndrome.
I know too many writers who try to talk themselves out of writing their nonfiction upon discovering a book similar enough that they believe their book has “already been written!” The ultimate horror moment for any aspiring author!
The corollary to that is deciding that you’ll never write as well as “Famous Author,'“ so why bother!
Both of these worries are fundamentally untrue, but really easy to believe in the moment. Your book will be your book. Your writing will be in your style. There is a reason there are like a million books on WWII, and yet publishers keep publishing them (I’d say a million is hyperbole, but I wouldn’t count on it).
Every author brings something new to the conversation. No matter how much you think you’ll never write something as good, or clever, or compelling as what’s already out there, that’s not the measurement anyone else is using.
So, if you’re worried about falling down the imposter syndrome rabbit hole, sometimes reading less can be a really critical strategy.
Finally, reading less is advice I give frequently to academic writers.
If you love to do research... If archives are your jam... If detailed timelines make you feel warm and fuzzy…
READ LESS.
Don’t get me wrong. Long term, I’m definitely going to tell you to read more, but often at the start of your project - when you’re working on your book proposal or your first chapters - writers who have a major research component to their topic too often use that research to procrastinate, hesitate, avoid, and generally not get their book going.
Take it from the historian (me): there’s always more research you can do, but save it for when you are neck-deep in the writing process. And save even more of it for revisions.
If you’re already clear enough on your strong and necessary topic to write the proposal - to plan and pitch and begin - trust me when I say you’ve done enough reading and research to be there.
Read less so that you can write more.
Read less so that you can stay focused on what matters at the start: the business plan of the book (the proposal).
Read less so you can see your own big picture.
So what do you think?
Are you in the “Read More” or “Read Less” camp?
What would you add to the pros and cons?
Such a great discussion! According to the Clifton Strengths assessment my number one strength is Input, so I’m definitely a read more person. But I also have to watch out that I don’t fall into procrasti-reading mode.
A wonderful, thoughtful analysis. I think timing matters: When deep in the throes of writing something new, perhaps reading less (outside of necessary research) is healthier. Otherwise, reading a lot--across genres--is a necessary, healthy habit for any aspiring writer. I once met a man who told me he wanted to write essays. I asked him what essays he'd read, and he replied, "None." I don't think that strategy will work for him...