Readers Make Good Writers

It’s true! If you want to be a good writer you need to read. There is a simple principle behind this. The more you practice the better you will become at anything. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers looked at the phenomenon of the 10,000 hour rule. If you want to become an expert at something, you need to invest up to 10,000 hours doing that thing. When I was a young aspiring writer I was told to read. Well, why do you think I was interested in writing in the first place? Because I loved reading!

So, if you want your child to become a better reader, but they are struggling, take a look at the post below (​​Encouraging Your Child to Read) to find good ways to get them more excited and engaged in reading, There are all kinds of things you can do to make reading more intriguing. Once they’ve read a book, don’t forget to ask them to share what they loved about the story, what was most interesting to them about the characters? This will help them consider story arcs, and the all-important character development. And being inspired to write through reading doesn’t to have to revolve around literature. Yes, it’s good to get a dose of the classics, but its not mandatory for becoming a proficient writer.

Another perk of being a reader is obvious, it helps a person learn about the world around them, and, most importantly, the people who share our home here on earth. Reading contributes to building our empathy, and can help to understanding how to interact with others. Reading can also help young people - and anyone - form better thought patterns around sentence structures that can make them a better oral communicator. 

So, if you, your children, or someone in your world wants to become a better writer encouraged the to read. Oh, what a difference it will make! 

Post: Encouraging Your Child to Read

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