3 Ways to Read More as A SF/F Writer

Reading is just as important to a writer as writing is. Without reading, writers lose valuable opportunities to improve their craft, learn from the best, and enjoy immersive worlds. But sometimes it’s difficult to read more, not just as a hobby, but as a writer.

What does it mean to read as a writer? It means reading a book and analyzing the author’s style, how they build their worlds, how they create their characters, and more. It’s reading with purpose. It’s also vitally important for improving your work. How do you take the time to read as a writer, especially if you barely have enough time to read as it is? Check out three tips for reading more as a writer below!

Create A Routine

Reading as a writer means you have a purpose for reading beyond enjoying a good book. It means getting to the heart of the plot, characters, world, style, and voice. It sounds like a lot of brain power, but trust your writer’s intuition! It’s a simple matter of asking yourself: How does the author write this? To spend more time in this mindset, you need to find time to read like you need to find time to write.

First, you should create a routine. Schedule your time to read like you would schedule your time to write. You can create a schedule by:

1. Blocking out specific parts of your day when you have free time and using that for reading.

2. Reading early in the morning, late at night, or on a lunch break.

3. Listening to audiobooks while in your car, going for a walk, or performing daily tasks (don’t worry, this isn’t cheating!)

The key is to map specific parts of your day where you can get the most use out of reading. When you do, you have a better chance of reading like a writer and really getting to the heart of the writing.

Pick Specific Books for Inspiration

You might have a giant TBR list, and it might be overwhelming. However, if you want to read more as a writer, it’s best to focus mostly on books that will help you improve your writing. By that, I mean books in your genre that you can learn from, books by authors you like, and books that have strong worlds and characters that you can learn from.

My advisor in graduate school advised me to follow this rule when I explained to her that I was feeling overwhelmed with reading like a writer. Because I was writing a sci-fi fantasy, she suggested I make a list of sci-fi and fantasy books that I not only wanted to read but what I thought I could learn from.

I chose books by Brandon Sanderson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Arthur C. Clarke, and others. When I chose these books, I asked myself what I would get out of it. How did these authors build their worlds? How did they create their characters? What is their writing style like, and how might it be different from what I need to do? What were the authors strengths and weaknesses? Now that I have a list (about 20 books), I could not only feel less overwhelmed, but I could read all this and analyze the writing easily.

Try Audiobooks!

Lastly, give audiobooks a try! At first, I thought that audiobooks counted as cheating when it came to getting more reading done. But it’s actually a great way to enjoy more books in more time. It also counts as reading because it exercises the same parts of your brain. You might not be reading the traditional way, but you’re still reading.

This is also great for those who have trouble reading. I have dyslexia, and while I don’t have too much trouble reading, audiobooks have been great for me. And why my giant TBR list, it’s helped me check a few more books off the list!

This also gives you the chance to hear stories like a writer. When you listen to a story, you can still engage in how the author create their world, characters, and story. You can then take mental notes for later and use that to improve your craft.

Don’t stress yourself out trying to read more! There are ways to optimize your time for reading, but if you don’t enjoy it, then you lose the chance to focus on the author’s writing and immerse yourself into their world. Read books you enjoy and want to learn from so you can keep yourself motivated. Happy reading!

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