Wednesday, October 2, 2019

My October IWSG Post – Writers and Reading


I have noticed a pattern, every alternate month I forget to write my IWSG post, at the last minute I scramble around, getting it together. For the October IWSG, I prepared this post four days in advance, for this I definitely deserve a pat on my back.

We have reached the 10th post of the year. Two more months to go before 2019 packs up. Most of us have now tapered down our blogging days, restricting it to IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) days. IWSG is a wonderful online group of writers, posting on the first Wednesday of the month. In our IWSG posts we discuss our writing fears and insecurities. IWSG is now a force to reckon with. Browse through the IWSG website for all kinds of information from IWSG Twitter Pitch Contests to lots of publishing related information.

IWSG was started by Super Hero, Ninja Captain, Wonderful Musician, Cyber Rockstar, Online Celebrity, Amazing Writer and Brilliant Blogger – Alex J Cavanaugh (author of Amazon Bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the Stars).

October 2 question - It's been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don't enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?

I can’t imagine writers not reading. Its not that we writers read to copy other writers (in fact we writers have too many ideas and too little time to work on them)  or get ideas from other writers, reading is just an extension of our writing life. Sorry if I’m offending anybody, but I just don’t understand writers who don’t enjoy reading. I mean how can I expect people to enjoy my books/writing, or to read my books, or to even buy my books, if I personally don’t enjoy reading? And if we don’t have a passion for reading being writers, how can we claim to have a passion for writing?

What about you all?