Welcome to Writing for Real, a monthly newsletter helping you live your best new writer life. I'm glad you're here.

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In this issue…

• My Latest Chapter (a personal update)

• Writing Must-Haves

• Read This

• Try This

• QOTM - Question of the Month

My latest chapter

Writing Must-Haves

In continuation of our Must-Haves theme, here’s another tip for new or hesitant writers. Of course, these Must-Haves work for any writer, but they are essential for new writers who are looking for a safe place to start. My goal with this newsletter is to make things super easy (and hopefully fun and interesting) so that you can feel good building your writer skills.

Whether your preference is to read using physical books, e-readers, or reading apps on a smartphone or tablet, one thing is certain: if you want to be a good writer, you need to read.

From Stephen King to George R.R. Martin to Margaret Atwood, there's no shortage of highly regarded authors espousing the virtues of reading—a lot—to successfully hone their craft. They believe that reading is integral to writing well. As an emerging writer, this may seem daunting, especially if you're already barely squeezing in a couple hours of writing each week. But the evidence is clear: strong readers help make strong writers.

If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

Benefits of reading:

1. Finding inspiration for your own stories

2. Expanding your world, including your vocabulary and understanding of other cultures, worldviews, religions, etc.

3. Seeing and hearing a variety of writer voices in action (including their use of syntax, grammar, style, and conventions)

4. Exposing yourself to a variety of writing structures and designs

Benefits of reading across genres:

1. Enhances creativity as you imagine how you might blend different aspects of stories you read (such as setting, tone, perspective, or genre guidelines) with your own

2. Allows you to find your preferred genre for writing (what feels most natural for your writing style?)

3. Helps you offer quality feedback to writers in genres different from your own (if you are in critique groups)

“If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you. Maybe it's not quite that easy, but if you want to learn something, go to the source. ... Dogen, a great Zen master, said, "If you walk in the mist, you get wet." So just listen, read, and write. Little by little, you will come closer to what you need to say and express it through your voice.”

Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

So grab your library card or your reading app (Kindle, Kobo, Audible, etc.) and start reading. If you’re craving something a little more social, think about joining a Book Club. It can help you understand the chosen book through a variety of reader perspectives. Hearing others talk about structure, voice, characters, etc., will help open your writer's mind to a multitude of possibilities for your own writing.

Start reading! Your future author-self will thank you.

Read this…

This month's recommended reads support reading as a way to hone your writing. Here's a list of my recent reads, which have made me think more deeply about how I can improve my own writing:

Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur (I write messy family dramas, and this novel does a great job of showing how it's done with its multiple POV and slow reveal of family secrets).

Favorite Daughter by Morgan Dick (for how to write train wreck characters)

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (for demonstrating how to write an evocative sense of time and place)

Try this…

This month’s writing prompt is to set up a document (Word or Google docs or whatever you use) and keep track of both your reading list AND what resonated with you about your own writing skills while reading each book. Did you learn how to handle cliff-hangers? Write tension? Find inspiration for your next piece of writing? Each book will teach you something, I promise, even if it is what not to do!

Share your work with me—I'd love to feature a few in future newsletters!

QOTM

How much do you currently read? Are we talking a book a month, or ten?

Reach out on Instagram, Threads or email to let me know.

Thanks for reading!

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If you have any suggestions for making this newsletter more meaningful, please email info@sandraziemniak.com.