How to read more (to write better)

Who doesn’t want to write better? Maybe you’re a business owner who wants to write more confidently for your social media. Perhaps you spend half your working day agonising over an email, wondering why you can’t quite get the words right. Maybe you need to put together a pitch deck or write a winning bid for that funding that will change your company’s trajectory. But if writing isn’t your main gig, you don’t want to invest time and money in learning the ropes like, say, a copywriter might. But there is an effective and affordable way to make your writing better. 

Reading.

It’s a bit of a writing cliché that to become a better writer you need to become a better reader. Virginia Woolf apparently said: “Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.” Proving her own point there.

But I’ve certainly found it to be true. The more I read, the less writing feels like an uphill marathon. Apparently, our brains absorb more than just vocabulary, we subconsciously process syntax, grammar, punctuation and style, giving us more creative tools and avenues to explore when it comes to putting pen to paper. This makes our writing more refined and varied as our brains seek to emulate what they’ve experienced. Take that, AI.  

We know that top athletes watch record-beating feats on repeat while preparing for their own big moment. It’s well documented that imagery and visualisation can improve performance. Surely this is kind of the writing equivalent.

Looking at it another way, athletes nourish their bodies with fantastic food to make sure they’re able  to go the distance on the day. If you want to write better, it makes logical sense to trace that back and look at the input to improve the output.

The trouble is few of us have the time or the attention span to devour books like we used to. Maybe you had to read weighty texts at university and it’s put you off ever since. Or perhaps you find TV, games or Instagram more relaxing after a hard day. I hear you.

That’s been me too. I’ve listed ‘read more’ as one of my New Year’s resolutions for the last five years. And I’ve never succeeded. I was too vague in my ambition. And I paired it with other time-consuming resolutions that meant it fell to the bottom of my priorities.

This year, I only set myself one challenge. Read more. We’re almost halfway through the year and so far it’s been a big success. So, to help you write better, I thought I’d share my tips on how to read better.

1) Set aside time

It sounds obvious, but saying to yourself, “Right, 5.30 – 5.45pm is reading time”, really helps find a window in your busy day to get it done. Even if it’s just five or ten minutes, put a reminder in your phone and see what happens.

2) Phone down

Again, obvious. But set a timer so you’re not clock watching, put it on silent and out of arm’s reach. If you’re like me, you’ll find this really tough at first. But it got easier the more I did it.

3) Give it time

The first few days, I sat down having not read anything longer than a newspaper article for a long time. I struggled to concentrate. My mind kept wandering, I kept re-reading the same page a hundred times. But trust me, it does get easier. Like meditation or training in the gym, your brain will adapt and improve quickly.

4) Go easy

Don’t sit down to Dostoyevsky and expect success. Start with things you know you’ll like: recommendations from friends, easy reads. Even holiday romps. The point isn’t to win awards for your literary knowledge, it’s just to read more. So give yourself a break and choose things you actually enjoy.

5) If you hate it after 20 percent, stop.

Yup. This isn’t school. If you’re not enjoying it or it’s slowing you down, move on. Choose another book. Don’t look back. Give it 20 percent to get going, and if it doesn’t, sack it off. Life’s too short and there are plenty of books out there you will enjoy. One slow burner can really knock your confidence and ruin your rhythm. 

6) Listen

Top up your trad reading with audiobooks. It means you can squeeze a few minutes in while you’re in the car, brushing your teeth, sweeping the garden or walking the dog. You’ll soon be racing through those titles. I like mixing it up, so if I’m reading a novel I’ll listen to a non-fiction or vice versa.

7) Go beyond books

And remember, it doesn’t just have to be novels. Read magazines, packaging, adverts on the Tube, newspapers, newsletters. Listen to radio plays. It all counts.

8) Keep a list

Back to books for a minute. I find it really motivating to keep a list of what I’ve read that year. As the number keeps going up it really spurs me on to read another.

Happy reading!

If you’d like to chat more about writing for your business, I’d love to hear from you.