Four Ways That Reading Makes You a Better Writer

Of all the gadgets stored in the writer’s utility belt, few are as important as being well-read

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

— Stephen King

Everyone, it seems, wants to be a writer these days (present company included).

The advances in technology over the past two decades has flattened the publishing world to the point that anyone can share their thoughts on a blog, microblog, whatever. You can even publish an entire book — either paperback or ebook — for free.

But just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should do it. And not everyone should write a book. There are plenty of people who I’d put into that category, but there is one group I’d place at the top of the list above all others: those that do not read.

In order to be successful in any field or endeavor, it is imperative to know what you’re doing. You can’t teach a physics class if you don’t understand physics and you can’t be an accountant if you’ve never studied accounting. Similarly, you can’t realistically expect to write a book if you don’t…