Issue #46: The Easiest & Most Fun Way to Get Better at Writing
Read a Lot series, part 2 of 4
There’s a famous piece of writing advice from Stephen King’s On Writing (still one of the best craft-centered writing books, by the way):
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot… there’s no shortcut.
I think we all know that the first half of that missive is much easier than the second—yay! I get to read a lot! vs. oh noooo, I have to write (a LOT).
But when things are easy and pleasurable, we tend to brush them off. So even though King’s advice places equal emphasis on the two—he even puts reading first!—most people tend to read it as:
I know so many people who read so much—but they don’t ever connect their reading hobby to their writing craft. How can smut make you better at writing about marketing? (It can.)
On the other hand, I know plenty of people who push themselves to write—their Substacks, their dissertations, their blog posts, whatever—but they barely read at all. Or they only read business and self development books (because it’s “work-related”).
There’s no other field of expertise where either of these approaches would fly.
When I was in art school, art history was a significant part of our curriculum.
When you study dance, you observe other dancers. Their style; their choreography; the things they’ve figured out how to do with their bodies.
When you learn guitar, you pay attention to other guitarists.
There’s one assignment everyone in The Craft, and in my (new!) 1-1 writing coaching work, has to do:
Find three pieces of writing that you like. These can come from anywhere: a fiction book, an email you received, the back of your Oatly milk carton, a Substack you enjoy.
Sometimes you can learn a lot just by noticing what you’re drawn to. If you come back with three different personal essays… you probably should try writing a personal essay (if you haven’t already).
If you’re all over the place—a passage from Gone Girl + a travel blog + the product description for the shampoo you just bought—then I’d look for what those three pieces have in common. Is it a rhythm thing? A lyricism? Is there something you find funny in all three?
What you read doesn’t matter—there are no extra points for reading dense literary fiction or “serious” nonfiction, and low-brow, pulpy trash has just as much to teach you as lofty, lyrical prose.
But how you read? THAT matters.
Read for entertainment—yes. Read for escape—sure! Read because you like stories—absolutely.
But pay attention to what you’re reading. Even as you’re engrossed in the twists and turns of a fast-paced thriller, or vibing out on the melancholy, moldy mood of a crumbling old house, or getting your mind blown by some intrepid journalist’s exposé on scuba diving culture…
Notice when the writing has you in its grip and won’t let go.
Notice when it’s past midnight and you just can’t put the damn thing down.
Notice when your throat tightens up and your eyes get all misty, or when you find yourself reading and rereading a particular sentence because it’s so intricate and beautiful.
You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you. –S. King
Stephen King also says there’s just as much to be learned from reading bad writing: “What could be more encouraging…than to realize [your] work is unquestionably better than that of someone who actually got paid for their work?”
I know what he’s trying to say here, but who gets to determine what’s “good” and what’s “bad”? (Also, Stephen King is an old fuddyduddy who got to have his whole career before there was such a thing as AI slop.)
Here’s how I would reframe this: reading something you don’t like, not because of the subject matter but because of the style, syntax, writerly flourishes, excessive use of the word “moist…”
THAT has a lot to teach you. You could do the exact same assignment I mentioned before, only with three pieces you don’t like—and I’d ask all the same questions about what you came up with.
It’s good for empathy, to know how you don’t want your reader to feel.
In my next email, we’re going to talk about something that would make old fuddyduddy Stephen King clutch his pearls—why watching TV counts as reading. 👀
Random reading recommendations below.
P.S. I was in Nashville this past weekend, and the campground I stayed at had a wax Jerry Garcia on loan from Madam Tussaud’s.
I did not like it.
the closer you get, the freakier it feels
Random reading recommendations (across genres):
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister Super weird and original Appalachian gothic bog story with the crumbliest of crumbly old mansions.
My Brother Moochie by Isaac J. Bailey A cut-you-in-two memoir about what a murder conviction does to the family of the accused (but also about racism in the South, and internalized anti-Blackness)... one of the best pieces of writing ever.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith I honestly don't remember a ton about what happens in this book but I remember the mood—dreamy, beautiful, sweet but not sentimental, compelling protagonist. And its about a girl who loves books.
Frank Herbert’s Dune An OG science fiction masterpiece with immersive world building, lots of sand, and a mysterious secret sisterhood that's been pulling prophecy strings for generations.
Wordslut by Amanda Montell Did you know there's a such thing as a feminist sociolinguist? Now you do.
Try it Yourself
Read a book in a genre, or by a well-known author, you’ve NEVER tried before—and pay attention to the things you like and don't like about it.
If you only read fantasy, try your hand at some literary fiction.
If you're deep into your nonfiction, try a beach read.
If you think James Patterson is beneath you, piss off your local librarian and check that shit out. Nobody publishes that many books unless they're doing something right.
If you somehow made it this far without ever reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History, you should definitely give that a go—and then send me an email so I can tell you why editors hate working with her.
Know what I've never read? A straight-up romance novel. Maybe I'll take my own challenge this week! Any recommendations?