Reading & Writing

I already told you guys twice that I've been doing a lot of...well, you know already. A few weeks ago I was thinking about getting some reading done.

Before I go on, I'm going to tell you one of my secrets about writing. There's a lot of stuff out there that tell you how to write. Google "how to write" and you'll find a whole boatload of resources that you can use, from guides to tips to classes, lectures and whatever else is out there. Their actual usefulness really depends on you, but the best thing that I can recommend is Stephen King's "On Writing". He tells you how to write and, more importantly, how he writes. While King isn't my favorite author because his work has been hit and miss for me (Bag of Bones and Hearts in Atlantis were great, Tommyknockers was weird), I like his writing in a general sense. So in terms of actual reading and learning material, that book is what I recommend.

One of the things the book will tell you is that you can't write if you don't read, which is why I've been looking for a book. Writing is your output, your product. Reading is your input, serving as your fuel as you type on that keyboard or jot on your notepad. I haven't read in a while, which is possibly one of the reasons why I felt so uninspired last week. Possibly, I'm not sure. I read a book over the weekend and it felt good to finish it. I'm considering getting Gaiman's Anansi Boys next week.