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This one may seem obvious, but it’s actually a topic that’s been talked about a lot in the writing community, and now it’s my turn because I have crippling FOMO. Not really, but I do think it’s a good topic to talk about, especially with the falling literacy rates in America the last few years. I’m not a scientist or someone who can really examine data, so I’m not going to be talking about that aspect of this, or predicting the effects this will have on the literary community in the future. I will however talk about how important it is for writers to also be readers, because I have plenty of opinions on that.
So, some background information on me and how I was raised; I’m a reader who was raised by readers. When I was a baby I wouldn’t stop crying until someone was talking to me and this ended up with my parents carrying me around in one arm and a book in the other hand reading out loud. Of course, I was an infant so I didn’t understand, but we still attribute it to part of my love of literature. It’s a family joke that by the time I could read I’d already read half the books most adults had.
Bedtime stories were a huge part of my childhood, one of the only punishments that ever worked for me as a kid was having my bedtime stories taken away. My parents took away toys and other things but it never had the same effect. As a kid, I was being read "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket and "Alice in Wonderland", alongside one of my favorite retellings I’ve read, "The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor, a series that does not get as much attention as it should. It’s amazing.
I will always thank my parents for instilling me with a love of reading at a young age, especially since it gave me more than they could have ever imagined. It gave me my love of writing as well, a future that I’m passionate enough about to brave the struggles that come with this field.
Starting with opinions from a few more people you don't and probably never will know, I talked with some associates of mine on the topic, asking them this, “Do you think that you can be a good writer without being a reader first?”
The answer I got from all of them more or less was this, of course not. Reading first gives you a level of understanding that you don’t have otherwise. What you read impacts everything, from how you think to how you react to situations. Most important for this topic, it informs what you consider to be a good book. How deep you need to go into your world, how developed your characters need to be. Writing is not easy, as I’ve said many times, and in truth, people who don't read before they come into the fold are going to have a much harder time throughout the entirety of the process.
Prolific author Stephen King, had this to say on the topic. “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” I think this point, especially coming from someone as well known as Stephen King is very poignant. If one of the modern age's most well known authors says that reading is one of, if not the most important part of being a writer who are we to disagree with him?
Of course, I say this sparingly, I do not agree with people who claim that just because an author is well known their opinions on matters of literature are unable to be wrong, it’s simply not true. Everyone is wrong sometimes, no one, no matter how well known they are in the community will be right all the time. In truth, this is a hard lesson the community has been learning lately with more and more authors coming out with questionable histories, actions, and statements, but that is an entirely different conversation for a different time than now.
An article by Jeff Goins has this to say on the topic, “Writers need to read. A lot. Magazines. Books. Periodicals. And so on. They need to grasp the art of language, to appreciate the finer points of words. As they read, they should jot down ideas and capture thoughts as they come.” (Goins).
Reading as a writer is the equivalent of doing your homework as a student. Reading is important because, as said above, you need to understand what it is you’re trying to do. Writing is nothing if you don’t have a grasp of the basic concepts of literature. Just because you speak the language does not mean you can write a bestseller, or even just well. There is more to writing than to dialogue. If all it took to write a book was simple dialogue as if you were having a conversation with your friend at lunch, everyone would do it.
“Nothing inspires a writer like reading someone else's words,” Goins says, “As a writer, you'll find yourself hitting plateaus and roadblocks when you aren't reading. You'll run out of words, if you're not regularly being challenged through books and other material.” (Goins).
There’s a reason that we’re taught to read as young as we are, and of course, some of this is simply because it’s an important and necessary skill to have to survive in this world. You can’t make it in our world without literacy skills, street signs, and contracts, all of these are important things that you need to be able to read to manage.
This is even more important if you intend to write, like everything else, from sports to piano to cooking you’re not going to be good at it when you first start. Take cooking for example, you’re not going to just start throwing things in a pan and pray that it works out perfectly. You’re going to get a cookbook or find recipes online. You’re going to start with simpler recipes that you can try before you dive into the deep end and start trying to cook gourmet meals.
This is the same when you’re a writer, and I find that a lot of people, myself included forget this. Writing is a skill just like any other skill, and you need to practice it if you ever hope to improve. We look up recipes (reading books), we start with simple recipes (smaller projects), and in general, we take our time, building up our skills until we’re confident enough to start the project that got us into the skill to begin with.
Of course, finding time to read is easier said than done. Like everyone, I sometimes find it really hard to find the time to read, even when I want to, between school, work, and familial obligations. An article I read recently by Sarah Werner, host of the Write Now podcast had a list of ways to fit reading into your schedule that I really liked.
1. Read in your favorite reading place during your free time — whether that’s out on the beach, in a cozy armchair by the fireplace, or in bed before falling asleep.
2. Read over lunch at your desk or in the break room. Wear headphones (whether or not they’re playing music) as necessary.
3. Read while waiting — at the doctor’s office, in line at the DMV, while you’re waiting for your daughter to emerge from school, on the toilet… wherever you can.
4. Read during your commute to work, if you happen to ride a train or bus, or travel via carpool (but not if you’re driving, bicycling, or walking).
5. Read while you’re exercising on a treadmill, elliptical, spinner, or another piece of equipment that doesn’t need you to, you know, keep an eye on anything.
6. Read EVERYWHERE ELSE (while jogging, gardening, vacuuming, driving, attending a boring party, etc.) with the magic of audiobooks! (Werner)
In Gotham Writers Workshops, Ask the Writer, Teacher Brandi Reissenweber had this to say on the topic. “As you read, you accumulate knowledge about what has been done and how it has been done. You gain an understanding of the diverse approaches to the craft and the effects of those choices on the reading experience. All of this observation sharpens your writerly and editorial eye, which is useful when you turn it back to your own work.” (Reissenweber)
It’s been proven for a long time that reading is good for you in multiple ways, it keeps you mind sharp, it helps with stress reduction, and through that it also can help with improved sleep when reading before bed, especially if you’re switching to that instead of staring at screens before you go to bed. Of course if you read digitally that’s it’s own thing, but the point still stands.
Recently, I got to interview the local FOCO author G.H Fryer on the topic.
Milla Pickett
Would you consider yourself, and would you call yourself a reader?
Gretta Fryer
Yes.
Milla Pickett
What was your relationship with reading like as a child, and how did that evolve to where you are today?
Gretta Fryer
Reading for me as a child was an escape from a very stressful home life, so reading was where everything was better or at least more adventurous in the right kinds of ways.
Milla Pickett
Do you think that your love for reading as a child had any effect on your choice to become an author now?
Gretta Fryer
No. I don't think they are connected that way. I have always considered myself an artist, and my method of art has changed. The medium I use, when I was younger it was colored pencils and paint. Then I got a little older and it went to sculpture, and now it is just in the form of written word.
Milla Pickett
Do you think reading is important for a writer?
Gretta Fryer
F--- yeah, absolutely. Learning how to put your thoughts to words is only limited by the types of reading material you've chosen. If you only read nonfiction, your sentence structure and storytelling format will be vastly different than if you fill your time with fantasy fiction or sci-fi. Storytelling comes in different ways and you will get a bigger library to choose from in your own head if you have a big library of books that you've read.
Milla Pickett
Um, so going with a broader stroke, just about the importance of reading care. Do you think reading is important for everyone and why should it be a priority for kids, especially with yourself as a mother?
Gretta Fryer
I think of any skill that a child needs to even have a chance to thrive in the crazy world we live in. They need to be literate. They need to read. Knowledge is power and you can't get that knowledge if you can't read a book. You can't navigate how to do your taxes or how to get a driver's license without being able to read. You can't understand the world around you with all of the news and different kinds of media being thrown at us if you don't know how to read and comprehend what you've read. We're in danger right now because too many people, children and grown-ups, don't know how to read and don't know that it should be a priority.
Milla Pickett
Do you think that being a writer and being a well-read writer has affected you in your day-to-day life and how so?
Gretta Fryer
Absolutely, it's affected me. I have a larger than normal vocabulary, which helps me in communicating in the most basic ways. So in a meeting at work, I have the words I need to express problems and solutions, where if I haven't been as well read, I would not be able to formulate my thoughts in a clear enough way to communicate that to the people around me I'm working with. And also, it has given me a larger vocabulary of ways to swear at the world without using actual profanity. So if you need to vent, being a reader is great. There are people who can swear in Shakespearean. And it sounds legit awesome. So, yes.
Works Cited
Goins, Jeff. “Why Writers Need to Read If They Want to Be Good.” Goinswriter.com, goinswriter.com/good-writers-read-2/.
Reissenweber, Brandi. “Answers to Writing Questions - Writing Habits - Gotham Writers Workshop.” Writingclasses.com, 2025, www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/ask-writer/why-is-reading-so-important-for-writers-specifically. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.
Werner, Sarah. “Why Is It so Important for Writers to Read? | the Write Now Podcast.” Sarah Rhea Werner, 12 June 2015, www.sarahwerner.com/why-is-it-so-important-for-writers-to-read/.
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