What do you read to get better?

We all have our favorite writers that we read daily/weekly to grow as professionals. But outside of newspapers and magazines, are there books and or authors that have helped your growth as a writer?

 

There's a reason my avatar is of Hunter S. Thompson. He even started out as a sports writer and continued to do a column for ESPN.com until very late in his life.

 

BASW, Hemingway, and a list of books I should have read in high school but didn't (most recently Heart of Darkness and The Red Badge of Courage).

 

David Halberstam, Jules Witcover and Jack Germond, Tom Wicker. Love booknotes.org.

 

In this age of less space and writing tighter, I read billboards.

 

"On Writing Well" by William Zinsser (I think I got the name right).

 

Playboy.

 

HST and PJ O'Rourke are the first who come to mind. Joan Didian, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and JK Rowling are favorites. And I like to pick up Shel Silverstein and AA Milne for fun from time to time.

 

When I'm feeling down and want to get better, I read books and articles about other professions my journalism skills can be useful in.

 

I don't think "what" is as important as "how much." I can recall my writing improving at a time when I was reading constantly (when I had no social life to speak of). Police procedural novels, if I recall correctly. I even remember one day thinking to myself that I wasn't stumbling as much, that I was finding the word I was looking for a lot more quickly.

Of course, great sports writers provide us with great models and structures that we can learn from. But, again, the most important thing is simply to read and read and read whatever.

 

"On Writing," by Stephen King. Incredible insight into the craft.

 

I took the LSAT.

;-)