Ultimately, in order to be a great writers, we as wordsmiths must also be great readers. I cannot tell you how many authors have been both inspirations and tutors for me and my writing craft. Even if it’s subconscious, we learn as we read. New styles. New types of prose. A new way of crafting dialogue to intermesh with the story. A new way to fit action into description. How different sentences sound in our heads in order to conveying sarcasm or pace of plot.
Reading, endless reading, and of many and a great variety of genres and authors, is the best way to improve as word artists.
And the bonus is that it’s fantastically enjoyable, too!
