Joni M. Fisher

Award Winning Author

Reading as a Writer

by | Jan 31, 2025 | Writing Tips | 0 comments

It has always been true that avid readers become better writers than their non-reading peers. Readers unknowingly gain an innate understanding of storytelling, a flourishing vocabulary, and vast knowledge about topics beyond their personal experience.

As a published journalist and author, I'm often asked to mentor or advise a beginning writer. A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. Sure, we learn in grade school how to write, but writing something strangers want to read is an entirely different thing.

Like playing the violin, mastering a skill takes regular serious practice and study. How does reading fit into writing?

When I'm asked to meet an aspiring writer, the first question I ask is, "What do you enjoy reading?" The answer speaks volumes.

Fiction or Non-fiction?

A reader who sticks to non-fiction is likely to have a greater interest in journalism. Whereas, the reader who dives into fantasy, historicals, romance, adventure, mystery, and more, will probably want to write short stories or novels.

Ah, and then there are the readers of poetry. To them, I always, always say, "to make a living as a poet, become a songwriter. Big demand, better pay, and, when you become successful, everyone will quote your work."

For aspiring writers of any age, read the best-selling works in the genre you plan to write. Read the esteemed literary works as well, but often, heralded "must-reads" touted by critics earn their praise for promoting the latest popular cause or because they break storytelling conventions, not because they are great stories.

Examples

Louise Erdrich's The Sentence. It begins like a mystery about a ghost in a bookstore, then devolves into a raging rant about tearing down society. The author's spectacular prose proves she knows how to express deep, profound emotions and capture character and setting to immerse the reader in the story. By the end, the reader feels assaulted by a screaming, destructive mob that claims victimhood while looting and beating people.

Nutshell by Ian McEwan. Click on the title to read my review of his book and you will see that this is an example of breaking conventions.

Best-selling works earn the big bucks because they have something to say and they say it well. Not all bestsellers have brilliant prose or elegant figures of speech. Readers may adore a story for its bigger-than-life concept--like Jurassic Park. The main character could represent a fantasy that attracts readers--like the Jack Reacher series.

Bestsellers often become classics because readers recommend them to other readers, generation after generation. And while Shakespeare's works are classics, they are challenging for today's readers to appreciate. His stories get retold in modern versions, especially in movies.

Did you know that Charles Dickens was considered a hack in his day? Literary critics panned him. He wrote about ordinary people fighting for a better life. He exposed uncomfortable social issues and laws to show the problems they created. His stories changed people's minds and hearts, leading to improved labor laws and empathy for the downtrodden. How many other writers of his day can you name?

Sometimes, advertising creates a buzz that propels a book briefly to bestseller status. Advertising cannot maintain that status if readers don't like the book. How many readers have finished a touted "must-read" and felt cheated out of hours of life? Or flung it against the wall?

The challenge for a writer is to create a new story or tell an old story in a new way. Develop the craft of writing by studying the bestsellers. Identify the precise elements of these stories that work.

Recommended Reading

The highest-selling books have the most successful combination of plot, characters, dialogue, description of people and settings, and other elements of storytelling. The highest-selling fiction genres are romance and mystery/suspense. How many of these best-sellers have you read?

These books are available at your local library, but if you don't want to make those trips, try getting them as digital ebooks.

Many of these classics are available for free on Kindle. If you own an iPad or smartphone, you can download the Kindle app for free. Sign in on Amazon and search for Free Classics on Kindle.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, well, rock on for the annual fee and read until you fall asleep!

If you prefer paperbacks, check out Amazon's used books.

The links to titles below are for the Amazon Kindle version and while many older classics are free, some sell for less than a dollar. These are affiliate links, so I might earn a little if you buy from these links. Whenever the complete collection of an author is available for the same price as the single title, I've used the link to the collection. You're welcome.

All the links here are for books written or translated into English.

Over 100 million copies sold

From 100 to 50 million copies sold

From 49 to 30 million copies sold

From 29 to 20 million copies sold

Under 20 million copies sold

Now let’s examine other books recommended by writers. The following works are known for their brilliant prose, or memorable dialogue, or fantastic world-building, emotional impact on the reader, or masterful plotting. This list represents a wide variety of genres, selecting the most popular work of each master author.

Reading these masterpieces will inspire, provoke, and teach any writer. I keep track of the books I've read by logging them on the Goodreads.com website. It's free. There, I note what was great and not so great about each book and rank it on a 5-star system.

Keeping track of one's reading helps prevent buying the same book in a multi-book series--something I've done enough to value tracking what I've read.

I urge beginning writers to read outside the genre they want to write. To those readers who look down on romance novels, for example, I say, "Guess which genre sells the most books year after year after year?"

Try the bestsellers in other genres. Figure out what makes them popular and use that element in whatever genre you write.

For my list of books and websites on learning the craft of writing, see Resources for the Serious Writer.

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