Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

60%
+1 −0
Q&A What is the best approach to balancing reading and writing for improving my writing skill?

A while ago, I would casually read and and casually write, and I was satisfied with what I achieved. But that all changed when people started suggesting that "readers are better writers" and the l...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Justin Alexander‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question creative-writing
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T04:56:15Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/20419
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Justin Alexander‭ · 2019-12-08T04:56:15Z (about 5 years ago)
A while ago, I would casually read and and casually write, and I was satisfied with what I achieved. But that all changed when people started suggesting that "readers are better writers" and the like. As a result, I started switching between periods of only reading for learning and not enjoying what I read, or writing only to mechanically improve my skill. Unsurprisingly, I lost enjoyment and satisfaction in both hobbies.

**What is the best way to go about writing? Should I read a lot because it will help me write well? Should I write almost exclusively to get experience writing? Or should I take a different approach entirely?**

Notes: I write all kinds of creative non-fiction (practically all), but my specialties are stage-plays and short serial novels.

EDIT: In case people are wondering how I've changed my harmful routine, I now partially write while I read and partially read while I write. If reading is learning and writing is doing, then no matter what I'm always learning and accomplishing.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-01-11T19:23:57Z (almost 9 years ago)
Original score: 2