Good writers are usually good readers too. At first, that may sound like a truism, but behind it lies one of the most important foundations of writing. #novum
Anyone who reads regularly and attentively naturally develops a better feel for language, rhythm, perspective, plot structure and characters. It is not about devouring as many books as possible. What matters far more is how you read. If you do not simply consume a text but occasionally look more closely and ask yourself why a particular scene works or why a sentence sounds especially good, you can learn a great deal for your own writing
Reading expands your linguistic toolkit
Writers work with language – and the larger their linguistic toolkit, the more options they have for expressing thoughts, emotions and situations effectively. Anyone who reads different authors and genres will automatically encounter a variety of sentence structures, vocabulary, imagery and rhythms. A crime novel sounds different from a literary novel, just as a non-fiction book sounds different from a short story. Even within the same genre, two writing styles can be worlds apart.
When reading, we also regularly come across expressions we might never have thought of ourselves. We learn new words, discover linguistic nuances and, over time, develop a sense of which phrasing works best in which situation. Of course, this does not mean copying someone else’s style. Quite the opposite: it is precisely through encountering many different voices that your own can gradually emerge.
You can hear a good sentence
Reading not only expands your vocabulary, it also sharpens your feel for language. This becomes particularly apparent when it comes to rhythm. Some sentences feel cumbersome, while others seem to flow effortlessly. Some paragraphs drive a story forward, while others deliberately slow the pace. And sometimes a short sentence is more effective than any elaborate description.
If you read a lot, you eventually begin to notice these differences instinctively. You realise that language is not just about meaning, but also about sound, pace and rhythm. This inner ear becomes incredibly useful when revising your own work. Suddenly, you notice that a sentence has become too long, that a word is repeated too often or that a paragraph simply does not sound quite right. After all, a text should not only be grammatically correct – it should also read well.
Reading shows you how stories work
Reading is also an excellent way to learn about plot structure. In novels, we see when characters are introduced, how conflicts arise, when information is revealed and how writers build suspense. Whenever you find yourself unable to put a book down, it is therefore worth asking yourself one simple question: Why do I want to keep reading?
Perhaps a question has just been raised but not yet answered. Perhaps we know something the protagonist does not. Or perhaps a conflict has escalated to the point where we simply have to find out what happens next. Once you recognise these mechanisms, you quickly realise that suspense rarely happens by accident. It is the result of many small decisions. Reading like a writer therefore means asking not only, “What happens?” but every now and then, “Why does this work so well?”
Characters do not need to be explained
Especially when starting out, many writers tend to introduce their characters in great detail: age, appearance, occupation, clothing and personality traits. But a character does not come alive simply because we know as much as possible about them. Often, we learn far more about a person by observing how they behave.
One character tells the truth in a difficult situation even though doing so puts them at a disadvantage. Another remains silent, evades the question or lies. Small decisions like these already reveal a great deal about their personality without the writer having to explain it. Good books demonstrate beautifully how characters emerge through actions, dialogue and reactions. At the same time, they teach us something particularly important about writing: to trust readers and allow them to read between the lines.
Perspective changes a story
The same event can feel completely different depending on who is telling the story. An argument may seem understandable from one character’s point of view and unfair or hurtful from another’s. An omniscient narrator can describe a situation objectively, while the same scene told from the perspective of one of the people involved can feel emotional and immediate.
Reading different books naturally develops your awareness of just how strongly narrative perspective influences our perception. What information are we given? What does the narrating character not know? What is deliberately withheld? Perspective is therefore far more than a technical decision. It plays a crucial role in determining what readers feel and how they judge a situation.
Sometimes less really is more
One of the most difficult tasks in writing is knowing what to leave out. Many texts are less effective not because something is missing, but because they explain too much. Thoughts are stated several times, information is repeated and emotions are explained even though the action has already made them perfectly clear.
Good books show just how powerful restraint can be. Sometimes a single detail says more than an entire paragraph. A brief exchange can reveal a relationship without requiring any further explanation. That is why it is also worth paying attention to what a writer does not write. Why does the chapter end at precisely this point? Why is a piece of information left unresolved? Why is a situation not described down to the smallest detail? Readers do not need to be told everything. After all, part of the pleasure of reading lies in discovering things for yourself.
Even bad books can be good teachers
You do not have to read only great literature to learn something about writing. Sometimes a book that does not convince you at all can be particularly instructive. Perhaps the dialogue feels artificial, the characters lack credibility or the story drags. Perhaps the language is unnecessarily complicated.
The important thing is not to stop at “I don’t like it.” The more interesting question is why. Why does this character feel unconvincing? Where does the story lose momentum? What information was revealed too soon? Why do I keep stumbling over certain sentences? Reading in this way is already a form of writing practice – and sometimes you can learn just as much from unsuccessful examples as from successful ones.
Other people’s writing creates distance from your own
It is difficult to judge your own manuscript objectively. After all, you know every character, every scene and every thought behind it. Something that seems perfectly logical to you may not necessarily work for a reader.
With someone else’s writing, that emotional attachment is absent. It becomes easier to recognise whether dialogue sounds natural or whether a scene explains too much. Over time, this creates an internal benchmark that eventually begins to influence your own writing as well. You start looking at your text not only as its writer, but increasingly through the eyes of a reader.
Reading develops your own taste
Writing is not just a craft; it is also a matter of taste. What kinds of stories interest me? Which characters stay with me? What kind of language moves me? Which storytelling techniques bore me? The more different texts we encounter, the more precisely we can answer these questions for ourselves.
For aspiring writers in particular, it is therefore worth venturing beyond your favourite genre. A non-fiction book may offer surprising ideas for structuring a novel. A short story may demonstrate how to create a powerful emotional impact in just a few pages. An essay, meanwhile, might change the way you approach arguments in your own writing. Inspiration often emerges precisely where different forms and ideas meet.
Reading and writing belong together
Fundamentally, reading and writing are two sides of the same activity. When we write, we produce language; when we read, we experience and examine it – sometimes consciously, sometimes entirely unconsciously. Of course, that does not mean every writer has to spend hours reading every day. Even small changes can make a difference.
After a good chapter, for example, you might ask yourself three questions: What kept me engaged? What technique did the writer use? And what can I learn from it for my own writing? You can mark interesting passages and return to them later for a closer look. Why does this sentence work? How was suspense created? Why does this scene feel emotional? Over time, you need to think about these things less consciously because much of what you have learned becomes part of your instinctive feel for language.
At the same time, literature should still be allowed to simply be literature. Nobody needs to analyse every book constantly. Sometimes you simply want to read and lose yourself in a story – and that is exactly as it should be. The key is being able to switch between two ways of reading: as a reader, you immerse yourself in the story; as a writer, you occasionally look behind the scenes and ask yourself how a particular effect was achieved.
Better writers do not necessarily read more – they read more consciously
Ultimately, it matters less how many books someone has read. Ten books read attentively can be more valuable for your own writing than a hundred you have simply raced through. Good texts show us what is possible. Weaker texts reveal what may not work. Different genres broaden our horizons, different styles sharpen our feel for language and new perspectives open up different possibilities for storytelling.
Eventually, this also changes the way you look at your own manuscript. You hear sentences differently, spot unnecessary words more quickly and are more likely to sense when a scene is not quite working. Above all, you gradually develop a feel for what a good text should feel like.
Key Takeaway:
So if you want to become a better writer, you should not only write. You should read too – and every now and then, look a little more closely.
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– The novum publishing team