I often hear the phrase, to be a good writer you must read. As someone with both dyslexia and eye issues - I don't read much. Don't get me wrong, I do read, a little every day. But it's exhausting, slow, and frustrating to read what I know takes others only a very short time to get through. I find complex stuff hard. I get kicked out of novels because I don't immediately understand the structure of the sentence and have to take the time to break it down in order to comprehend. Then I lose track of what was going on and have to start the section again. It's annoying - so I tend to avoid the harder stuff unless I'm rested and focused. However, I know writers need to experience language to improve. So instead of books, I pick up this elsewhere. Movies, radio, songs, commercials, pod casts, plays, comics, cartoons, manga, anime, video games, and TV are all places where I can experience great language, turn of phrase, and subtle nuances. So instead of telling all writers - to be a writer you must read - maybe we should tell them - to be a writer you must experience language, because that really is the key.
Writing plays as well as watching them is a great way for a writer to expand and explore language.
RSS Feed
