Writers are readers. Ask writers and most of them will tell you that reading is essential to good writing. But why is that? Here are some of my theories.
 

• Reading gives your writing context. It helps you learn where you fit in the overall literary landscape. Are you a literary writer? A genre writer? Do you write fiction or nonfiction? Is your style more J.R.R. Tolkien, John Steinbeck, or Mary Higgins Clark? You have to read to know.
• What difference does it make? You can learn from those who have gone before. No one works in a vacuum. Musicians don’t make music without ever listening to other musicians. Fashion designers don’t design clothes without first studying Coco Chanel and other greats. Even if you can’t find the time to read the whole of the Western canon of literature, you can select a few favorite authors to read and learn from.
• Reading can help you determine your writing goals. Do you want to write a New York Times bestseller? Read a few of them to see what it takes to achieve that status. Not every writer needs to strive to write the Great American Novel. There’s a place for the small, quiet books as well.
• The more you read, the more you’re likely to find your own voice. Read different styles and authors with different voices and you’ll learn more about what voice is. Then you’ll be able to develop your own more fully.
• Reading helps you keep up with current trends. Sure, you should read the classics as much as possible. But you also want to read your contemporaries. What are readers buying? William Faulkner’s style of long sentences may be less trendy now than it once was, and Ernest Hemingway’s simple style may be emulated more today.
• Keep in mind that as a writer, you can’t ignore your readers. You are always writing for an audience. Read what’s selling and you’ll learn more about your readers. What topics do readers want? What styles do they find appealing? There’s enough variety out there that you don’t have to make major changes in your own preferences, but it’s helpful to know what the market values.
• Perhaps the most important reason for writers to read voraciously is that it helps you internalize the rhythm of the language. You start to get a sense of sentence structure and how to vary sentences to keep the rhythm moving. You subconsciously develop an ear for words and phrases that are interesting and engaging. You learn what kind of language flows smoothly. You learn the difference between elegant language and sloppy language. When you sit down to do your own writing, these patterns and rhythms are already in your head.

The more you read, the more you improve your writing. Make a New Year’s resolution to read more in 2010.