Reading works written by other people has always been encouraged throughout childhood, but it is a task that should be continuously encouraged throughout life—especially if you are a writer. Reading for pleasure can lead to inspiration for storylines, world-building, character development, or even stylistic writing choices. Seeing how an author whose work you enjoy builds their story can help you recognize which patterns or tropes really draw you in. This, in turn, can inspire you to write a story similar to your favorites or adopt similar writing practices that will benefit your storytelling in any of your works. It can even help remove writer’s block if it inspires you enough!

“As I have read more advanced books throughout my life, my writing skill has improved, and my writing style has become an amalgamation of all my favorite authors and books. ” -Chloe Williams

Ever since I began reading for pleasure in sixth grade, I became obsessed with using em dashes (—) in my writing to signify a pause without using ellipses (…) because many authors I read utilized them. Prior to reading for pleasure, I was unaccustomed to the practice, but I fell in love with the dramatic effect of an em dash. It allows readers to take a break, let the details settle in, before being faced with another set of details that are usually either more dramatic or a signifier of the previous detail’s importance. As I have read more advanced books throughout my life, my writing skill has improved, and my writing style has become an amalgamation of all my favorite authors and books. For this, I am forever grateful for reading and will continue to encourage every writer to read as a hobby.  

Reading for pleasure can lead to significant improvement with your own writing skills as well. Being able to see how other authors write fully fleshed out stories, form their sentences, express their thoughts, and replace overused words can benefit you. You learn words you may have never seen before, and you are able to then recognize the correct context to use them in. Reading for pleasure also helps you subconsciously grasp proper grammar and syntax. The books you read have been edited by professionals who ensure the author’s work is presented in a grammatically correct manner. Therefore, their sentences are going to have consistent tense, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and other important grammar aspects. By reading these works, you are able to then recognize what is grammatically correct and what sentence structure sounds the best, which you can then take to your own work to improve your skills. 

Hobby reading also introduces you to more writing styles and their effects on you as both a reader and a writer. Descriptive writing is often involved, but every author’s descriptive writing varies. Some are overly descriptive while others may not offer as much detail as you might expect. Both of these styles can benefit the stories in their own ways as each author aims to do something differently. Sometimes not having as much detail makes the story more intriguing and leaves you asking questions. Learning these writing styles can help you understand exactly what your purpose is when telling your story. Sometimes we may even see writing and think, “I like this particular style, but I think adding this different feature can be beneficial.” This thought can then lead you on your own creative writing journey. 

Reading has more benefits than we recognize, especially if you are a writer looking to formulate your own story. You can learn so much through hobby reading and exploring as many genres as you can. Introduce yourself to other writers’ ideas—you never know what they can inspire you to write. Never stop reading, and you can continue to grow as a writer!