by Thomas Kies
I got a phone call from a man who was referred to me by a friend. Apparently, they were talking about life insurance. I know, I know, not the most exciting subject in the world. But it was during their conversation that the man confessed to my friend that he was interested in writing a book. Being as I’m the only published novelist my friend knows personally, he naturally gave him my phone number.
To my friend’s credit, he gave him my OFFICE number and not my personal cellphone. So good on him.
To keep anyone from being embarrassed, let’s call the man Charlie. Charlie called me and politely told me what he would like to talk to me about. Now, I love to talk about books, writing, and publishing. So, we scheduled a meeting the very next day.
I was happy to spend time with Charlie. He asked good questions and took copious notes. We discussed the positives and negatives of traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. I told him how valuable it is to join a writers’ group and get a beta reader…no, not his wife or any of his children. We talked about how you need a good editor and how you need to sit down and write something every single day. That’s what writers do.
I asked him what genre he was interested in. Charlie told me he wanted to write a thriller. Then I asked him who is your favorite author and what do you like to read?
His answer was, “Well, I’m not much of a reader.”
WHAT?
My question for the audience is, can you be a writer without being a reader? In my opinion, NO!
Stephen King said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all else: read a lot and write a lot.”
If Charlie wants to be a writer of thrillers, he’d be best served by reading thriller novels. He’d be studying the writers who have made it happen. They’ve not only gotten published, but they managed to get onto best seller lists. Writers like Lee Child, Brad Thor, Gillian Flynn, Don Winslow, David Baldacci, S.A. Cosby, Stephen Mack Jones, Stieg Larsson, Karin Slaughter, and Thomas Harris, just to name a few.
It's how you can study plot structure, pacing, grammar, character development as well as a hundred other writing items you should know about if you’re going to try to write a book that someone will want to read.
To Charlie’s credit, he’s not alone. I’ve lost count of the people who have taken one of my Creative Writing classes at our local college that have answered that same question, “What do you read and who is your favorite author?” And their answer has been, “I’m not much of a reader.”
But, on the flip side of that equation, I’ve found that the best writers who have taken my class are indeed dedicated readers. They not only study the craft and work at it but enjoy reading.
How can you not? www.thomaskiesauthor.com
4 comments:
If Charlie is going to blog, he will also need a smart ass to proof his blogs.
Writers should be readers, for sure. It boggles my brain when someone wants to write, but doesn't read.
A late cousin told me she yearned to write a novel. "What novels do you enjoy?" I asked. "Oh, I don't read novels" was her reply. She mostly read the New Yorker (not a bad choice of periodical) but as for books, her shelves were mostly occupied by her professional texts.
We've undoubtedly all had that experience numerous times.
I've heard this, too, and I find it to be a curious mindset. When I was teaching middle school and high school lit arts, it was easy to predict which kids were also avid readers because they'd internalized storytelling rhythm. They tended to write in an organically effortless style, and they seemed to enjoy the writing process much more.
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