Authors Read

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”  ~Stephen King

His books have sold more than 350 million copies,^[2] and many of them have been adapted into feature films, television movies and comic books. King has published fifty-five novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and six non-fiction books. He has written nearly two hundred short stories, most of which have been collected in book collections.

Reading is so critical for writers because there is a direct connection between reading ‘ability’ and writing ‘quality’.  The MLM Publishing Company takes this direct connection seariosly so we now have a special relationship with a brand new bookstore offering great benefits to our writers, but more on that a bit later.

I’m a “writer”, so why should I read?  I need to spend all of my time working on this manuscript.  Sound familiar?   All of the greats used reading to become better writers, and so should you.  It is no secret that the best writers write a lot and READ a lot.  What we learn as readers supplies our arsenals as writers.  Reading gives us a better command of the language, a deeper understanding of the craft and so much more.

Reading expands your language skills so that you can become bettercommunicator. Reading is vital to this growth and has been found to have a reciprocal relationship with writing. It has been studied and documented that the development of good reading habits improves your ability to write. You can begin to form a ‘reading habit’ by reading a minimum of thirty minutes a day, longer if you can.  If you don’t have a block of thirty minutes in your day to spare, select specific times to read for a ‘few minutes’ at a time; like when waiting in line or a waiting room at the dentist or doctors’ office, every night at bedtime, every morning when you wake, lunch break, bathroom time for some, you get the idea. 

When that ‘reading time’ comes around be ready to read!  Always have a book with you, in your car, your desk at work, in your jacket, your purse, anywhere you can stash a book to keep it handy.  Personally, I stash books and electronic readers EVERYWHERE!  I have a book in each room and several ‘to go’ books.  My books are all bookmarked (digital and hardcopy) with each mark moving closer to the end of each book as each ‘reading time’ passes, bringing me closer to the next new book.  These days it’s easy if your preference is digital, but if you are like me and love both the easy access of digital books and love the feel of a hard or paperback copy in hand, enjoy both!

Now that we have taken care of the time issue, let’s move on to what to read.  Read the best writers!  Read writers who are great storytellers, who touch you, move you, motivate and inspire you.  Remember the classics, if you haven’t read one of your favorites since High School it might be time for a refresher.  Study these masterful writers’ plot, humor, characters, story structure, theme and all that they offer you as a writer.

Read the newly published writers, some good, some bad, and some great.  You won’t know until you give them a read.  DO NOT discount the ‘bad’ ones; they are of value to you also.  Deconstruct their writing and re-write them. After all if you have read the book and determined that it is not well-written, then you probably know a bit about what can make it a better read. This exorcize is a great way to sharpen your skills as a writer and an editor of your own works.  Good or bad, analyze their use of words and phraseology.  In analyzing the books you read try to determine exactly what makes one writer’s book viewed as poorly written and the other a masterpiece.

Ah haaa, you are now writing aren’t you?!  No writers’ block for you after developing the “reading habit”.

Above all… ENJOY THE READ, BE INSPIRED TO WRITE! 

SIGN UP NOW at www.ReadNewBooks.com! We are anxiously awaiting the launch of the new digital Bookstore.  Let us know that you have signed up and we’ll provide you with a special code so that our MLM Publishing Company writers/readers can take advantage of the Bookstore’s special offers!

The privileges of membership: Discounts on books, music, movies, and more. “First Look” and Free Book Chapters.  We have been told that the Monthly Freebies are selected just for writers. In addition, you will have the opportunity to support your fellow MLM Publishing authors.  We will be publishing a list on www.MLMPublishingCompany.com of our new authors whose books have been accepted and available at the new Bookstore.  More exciting things to come soon!