by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales

Not everyone likes to read, but if you’re going to write books, you really should be reading.

Reading books within your chosen genre helps you to get a feel for what readers desire in novels of similar type. The settings. The action. The characterizations. Reading other books within the genre you’re writing helps you learn to write better.

Reading any book helps you learn to write better. Which is why one should also find books in other genres to read. In doing so, you will pick up on things you like and things you don’t like about the writing. You’ll learn what to do and what not to do. You’ll start to recognize when someone has studies their craft and when they probably haven’t.

Which leads to the next thing writers should be reading: books on craft. If you want to write novels or nonfiction, it’s important to study what you’re going to turn into a career. Just like a lawyer would go through law school or a doctor would go through med school, it’s important that a writer become educated on his or her craft. You don’t have to go to college, and craft books cost far less than text books. One of my favorites has been Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel. There’s even a workbook.

Another way to study is to read other writing blogs. Join a few writing communities on Facebook. These are great places to ask questions and receive answers. Not only about craft, but about the business, branding, social media, blogging, and so much more that writers tend to have a hand in at all times.

Read about grammar. Learn about proper use of punctuation. I understand not everyone won their 6th grade spelling bee, but I can promise you that if you take the time to properly write sentences and punctuate them, an editor will read farther than the first page before they toss it into the trash. If you’re not willing to take the time to learn how to write properly, most won’t take the time to consider your manuscript. There are plenty of free grammar tests available online, if you’d like to polish your skills.

Read trade publications. Ours is a field that is always changing. Whether we’re talking self-publishing or whether readers are preferring ebooks over paperbacks or which house has bought which house, the publishing industry is constantly in motion.

Read to support others. One thing we’re taught about social media is that for every time you promote yourself, you should promote others and provide your readers with valuable content that doesn’t come from you ten times over. When reading others’ books, you have the ability to leave book reviews, invite other authors to guest post on your blog, and show what a fan you are of particular authors’ novels. I have yet to hear an author say it’s a shame I love their books so much I can’t help but tell my friends about them. Not that you’re doing this to get anything in return, but it’s another great way to network. I always think about the cliche “what goes around comes around.” Some day I’m going to want help promoting my book. If I’m stingy and don’t take the time to help my fellow authors, who am I to expect they help me in return?

These are just a few reasons why reading is so important for us as authors. What could you add to the list?[reminder]

Alycia W. Morales is a freelance editor whose clients have won multiple awards for their manuscripts, including the Selah Award and Director’s Choice Award at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. She also serves as Conference Assistant to Director Edie Melson. When she isn’t busy editing, she writes. Her writing has been featured in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, at ChristianDevotions.us, and in a variety of devotionals and compilation books.

Alycia resides in South Carolina with her knight in shining armor and their four teens. She is an avid reader and enjoys multiple genres. She’s addicted to story and loves watching TV in her free time. She finds coloring in her adult coloring books and crafting to be very relaxing.