How much do you read? What do you read?

Books. Newspapers, hard copies and on the 'net. Magazines. Anything I can get my hands on.

 

I used to read a book a week in college on top of the assigned books, but I think I kind of burnt myself out. Plus, I haven't really found any new authors I like. But my dad got me a subscription to the New Yorker for Christmas and I've enjoyed that.
I tend to be like the other posters above where I won't read for awhile and then I will read 10 books in a month.
I do think reading is really good for writers, though, because it sharpens the mind and I think it helps me to see things in a different light.
As far as reading fiction or non-fiction, I don't think that really matters. Reading is what matters.

 

I really enjoy all the responses on here. Awesome stuff.

I think what I need to do is get myself a couple good magazines each month. Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, New Yorker, Rolling Stone, whatever -- read some good long-form pieces. Anytime I try to pick up a book nowadays, I read a few chapters, put it down and don't get back to it -- even if I enjoy it.

 

I'm not a writer (sorry, Wicked) but a life long voracious reader. The only thing that slowed me down was getting a car in my forties. Until then I read several books a week - now one book takes 3 weeks. Never realized how much reading I got in during commuting.

 

I, too, would define myself as a "voracious" reader.

I read about a book a week, almost all non-fiction. I read Sports Illustrated and Basketball Times pretty much cover to cover. I read the New York Times, but nowhere near cover to cover. I'm on quite a few e-mail newsletter lists.

Regarding my book reading, I rarely read the same book twice, but I do get into grooves of reading several books on the same subject or from the same same author. I read a lot of the environment, current events, media, health, social issues, basketball, and Christian authors. Biographies too.

And lastly, I would never call Matt Taibbi brilliant. In fact, whenever I've seen a link to him here, I thought he was awful.

 

RE: Fiction.

Some folks out there just flat-out prefer non-fiction. One poster mentioned that with all there is to know about the world, he couldn't justify reading fiction when he could be reading something more instructive. Fair enough.

I just thought I'd mention that reading fiction- something good, that is- really helps my prose. There's a potential for lyricism that's just diffrerent from non-fiction. It's not something that you'd want to mimic in journalism, but I feel richer for having an experience of it nevertheless. And it does seem to help my prose in that it keeps my inner ear for language sharp.

Carry on...

 

I agree that if your goal is to be a better writer, fiction is better.

If your goal is to learn as much as you can, non-fiction is better.

That's not to say you can't learn from fiction or improve your writing from non-fiction, but they won't do those jobs as well.

 

i read all the time. I have two bathrooms in my flat and there are books in each one (too much info?), as well a book in my bag that i read on the bus or tube each way to work. I have a pile of books by my bed and usually one or two on my couch (my wife reads just as much). Reading not only makes me a better writer but it inspires me to keep improving. I'm no longer a journalist, but i still write for myself (in an old school journal for personal stuff and a blog for things i wouldn't mind people seeing). Just being around books makes me happy. I have an old copy of catcher in the rye (from the 50s) that i not only enjoy reading every so often, but smelling (it has that old book smell that i love). By the way, i know how much of a nerd i am.

 

1. Do you agree that to be the best writer you need to be reading 24-7?

Yeah, I think you need to read as much as possible. I've come to this conclusion for two reasons. One, some of the best writers I have been around are vociferous readers. And two, I remember a specific time when a modern classic novel pulled me out of a pretty bad writing slump. My next few stories after I finished reading the book were excellent only because I tried to emulate the style in certain ways (without overdoing it), and I had my bosses' attention. It really does fade fast, though. So I guess you have to keep reading good work. One other thing about writing well and being an avid reader - alliteration comes in handy more times than one might think and having a depth of knowledge of other books can often be helpful.


2. How much reading do you do? Mostly work-related research? Leisure book reading? Leisure magazine reading?

I go in spurts really, and am not as consistent as I would like. I've been reading for pleasure more lately, but there have been times recently when I have gone on a serious reading drought - sticking to the Internet non-stop. I read a lot of fan message boards to try to keep up with my team, and the grammar errors used on those boards can seep into my writing (even very simple errors sub-consciously slip in to my writing when I'm reading only fan boards).


3. As the Internet has come into our lives, have your reading habits changed greatly?

Yes, for good and bad. See # 2 above. But also, I've learned through a couple of BLOGS! I read and from this site that a good writer can really deliver a knockout punch in just a line or two.