The Purposeful Prose Advice Column: Writing Without Reading?

Dear Purposeful Prose,

I’ve stopped reading books as much because it’s hard to pay attention through reading, and when I am paying attention, the books give or show me too many ideas. I wouldn’t use them in my own writing, but I want to come up with my own ideas. A lot of writing communities I’ve said this in have gotten angry about this and said I’m not a “real writer,” and it’s gotten to me. I’m not sure what to do. 

To begin by answering the question directly, existing works of literature do not define the limits of what a story can do, but they show deeper possibilities than those that can be explained by one person working alone. Stories have the ability to move people to think deeply about a philosophy or a positive value a person can hold. They can make you feel things through means that other media cannot accomplish because, when reading closely, you impress the most of yourself into a story. 

The value in film, television, and theater cannot be discounted, and I think that it’s interesting to see different interpretations of a work played out. However, again, film, television, and theater present interpretations of a director, of actors. Suddenly, the image of Frodo in our minds is Elijah Wood. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those are excellent movies that I would watch on a loop, but they are still interpretations of text that can be read and interpreted differently by another person. From the original Tolkein, every reader can form a different image of the stakes, different characters’ interiorities, settings. In the case of Lord of the Rings, there’s a lot to be said about nature and, generally, ecology that the movies didn’t have the capacity to fully explore. 

I am not saying that all movies are bad or that all books are good. I’m saying that it’s important to consume a wide variety of media, books included, so that you, as a writer, can get the most value out of existing, accessible tools. In your message, you mentioned that books aren’t as easy to access for you or it’s hard to pay attention to the material. There is some information that I do not have.

• First, how do you choose your reading material? Do you choose based on your own personal interests, based on recommendations from other, or is there a list of books you’re looking through?It’s going to be more difficult to get through books that don’t feel interesting to you or, generally, books that are not “for you.” Sometimes, struggling through a book is essential for classwork or for personal projects, but take care to separate what you’re reading for pleasure and what you’re reading for work. Then, relish the moments when the two cross over.
  

• Second, through what medium(s) do you read? Have you mostly stuck to physical books? Have you tried audiobooks or ebooks? You aren’t losing any value by changing your format. There are books that I prefer engaging with through audio. Examples include Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. To an extent, I’m relying on the inflections and interpretations of the speaker of the text, and that is influencing my understanding of the material, but these books contain a lot of information and references that I take in best through audio.
  

• Third, what do you rely on to develop your craft of writing, and how do you know that you’re making the best use of all that you’ve made available to yourself? When you are collaborating with other writers or other readers, when you’re taking a course, when you’re watching a YouTube video, when you’re scrolling forums, know that people put their information forth based on a combination of their experience writing, engaging in literature, and the content of what they’ve read. You do not need to have read the same books as your peers, but if you are also reading, you will get more out of conversations you will be having with beta readers, editors, fellow writers, agents, or any person with whom you engage about writing.

When you read the works of others, you are not denying yourself the possibility of your own ideas, you’re opening yourself up to the experience of readers and conversations about writing that will feel difficult if you are not also reading. As for those who say you’re not a “real writer,” I don’t engage in conversations around what constitutes a real or fake writer. I don’t feel it’s productive. My recommendation is to keep writing and finding ways to develop your skills and, at the same time, understand that making the choice to read means allowing yourself opportunity and power in literacy. Reading to enjoy is absolutely a goal, but when I say “power in literacy,” I mean that reading to understand something deeper about the book’s motive, what the book means to you, how moments in the book do or do not resonate with you is a powerful skill to have. As a writer, you can use these strategies to learn more about yourself as a writer and what messages you want to convey through your work. To learn more about what that can mean for you in a broader context, I highly recommend An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language: How to Hear What’s Left Unsaid. 

If you have a writing or editing-focused question, I would be more than happy to dedicate a post to you. Contact us with any questions you might have or to schedule a free consultation with yours truly!

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