I received a comment from someone earlier this week that said they didn’t have time to read about writing and they needed to focus more time on writing.

We’ll I’m all for spending time on writing. However, I think that if a writer doesn’t spend time reading, and reading a lot, they’re going to miss out and perhaps struggle more to build their writing career. Here’s why:

Reading about writing helps you stay in touch with your own writing strengths and weaknesses. It serves as a regular reminder of what good writing is all about.

Reading also helps motivate you to write

Reading about writing helps you stay abreast of industry changes

It also helps you build the platform and writing career you’re striving for.

To quote the amazing Stephen King, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

If you find that you’re struggling to make time to write and you feel like you’re reading too much and not writing enough then you’re probably right.  Create a time each week to “read” about writing. For example, Sunday mornings with your favorite coffee or tea. Make it fun, make it special, and make it a habit.