Read More to Write Better by Diana Flegal

I was amazed the first time an author pitching me his story of a certain genre informed me he did not read stories of that particular genre or really read much at all. It was obvious to me he hadn't and didn't.


While I am sure there are exceptions, and one of you might be that one, I believe strongly that in order to become a good writer one must be a great reader. 


I can't imagine an aspiring pianist having no familiarity with melody.


Assuming you are a lover of words, I am curious to know how you choose your reading material.


I know some who visit their local indie bookstore and ask the staff what they have recently read and liked. Others ask their librarian, and others go with book club picks.


How do you choose, and what have you read recently that you especially enjoyed? What are you currently reading?


I am reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller (for the second time), as well as The Aviators Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Where People Really Read by Andy Scheer

In case you missed the October WordSmith newsletter from the Christian Writers Guild, a short article reported a revealing glimpse of Americans' reading habits.

More people read in the bathroom than you may suspect, according to an infographic compiled by The Reader’s Edge.

Sixty-three percent of people surveyed admit they read books, magazines, and newspapers while in the bathroom. (People said they average 30 minutes per day there.)

The most frequent bathroom readers are men and people 34 and younger. For men, 86% said the toilet was the place they did most of their reading. Only 27% of women said they did most of their reading there.

The top choice of bathroom reading material for both men and women was magazines. For men, their second choice was sports biographies (36%) and crime novels (24%). Women listed romance novels (27%) as their second choice for bathroom reading.

It's long been standard advice that while writing, you should envision your readers. But maybe it's best if you ignore where they read.