No thanks. I’m more from the Steinbeck camp…write before I write. I journal or write a letter to a friend, both of which may or may not ever be seen. I use these to warm up, to shuffle off the dust in the mind, and then tackle my writing. If I read before I write I tend to find that my writing takes on the shadow of what I have read. My voice is blended with the author of what I have read. Sure, the writing may come easier, but it’s not my true voice.

I read a TON when I am not writing. But when I am in the midst, seal me off and hide the key.