Category Archives for Reading
How To Write in Books to Become a Better Thinker
There may be no fiercer turf war in literary society than the preservation of a book’s pristine quality.
Seriously, those Oxford comma folks have nothing on this debate.
To write in, dog ear, markup, and annotate the books you read and love—or to carefully respect and honor the delicate spine and pure-white paper … that is the question.
I personally have been, and will always be, a contributor to the art of marginalia. Comments, symbols, highlights, underlines—they are all in there. Being able to mark important areas and note brief thoughts on what I’ve read are an essential part of understanding and interpreting what I’ve read.
That isn’t the case for everyone, though. In fact, some people get downright feisty about it.
What Is Copywork (and How to Use It to Establish a Daily Writing Routine)
“Copying is the highest form of flattery,” my parents would tell me whenever I was annoyed about my friends “copying” me. I didn’t believe them. (I was 8 years old at the time; can you blame me?)
But then I started college, and this “copying is flattery” came back to haunt me. My literature professors would tell me, “If you want to write like an academic, you need to read a lot of academic writing.”
So, essentially, if I wanted to do well in college literature courses, I had to figure out a way to copy these writers.Continue reading
What You Can Learn From Writers You Hate
It’s an absolute necessity that anyone who wishes to write must read, and read a lot.
Not only is reading proven to improve your writing and help you learn, but reading also exposes you to creative methods you may not have been aware of before. That goes for any creative media. The more you consume, the more you learn and grow as a writer.
For instance, without reading poets like Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson, I would have never known that some of poetry’s greatest works contain zero rhymes. Without watching Memento, I would have never realized that time doesn’t have to be linear in the films I create.
Consuming media doesn’t just teach you, it shapes you.
6 Books to Inspire Professional Writers
There are many ways to find inspiration as a writer: trying out new creativity prompts, eavesdropping on interesting conversations in public (super guilty of this — sorry every-person-who-sits-at-a-table-next-to-me-in-a-diner-ever), or meditating until a brilliant idea pops into your mind.
But the simplest, most certain way to get your creative gears turning?
Reading.
When words are your great love — and corralling them into something cohesive is your career of choice — there’s no better way to spark your motivation and muse than by indulging in your passion.