⌨️Do Writers Really Need to Read?

 

Let’s be honest with each other—this whole “real writers read every day” thing? It can feel like a requirement shoved into your face before you’ve even figured out if you like your writing desk.

If you’re a writer who doesn’t read as much as the advice columns say you should, welcome. You’re not alone, and no, it doesn’t mean you’re any less of a writer.

This post isn’t here to bash books (let's not be dramatic), but to offer a more realistic and nuanced perspective. I’m here to talk about something not enough writers are willing to say:

👉🏽 Reading isn't always the reason behind good writing. Sometimes, it’s just... writing.

📖Reading Used to Be My Thing—Until Writing Took Over

Once upon a time, I would’ve told you I was a reader. A real one. You know, the kind that rereads books just for the comfort of it. The kind that browses shelves with excitement and buys three more novels when she already has six unread at home. That was me.

But now that I’m a writer? Reading for “inspiration” doesn’t hit the same. Not because I dislike reading, but because my imagination doesn’t need it to function. My mind is constantly spinning, forming characters, creating dialogue, unravelling twists, and sketching endings before beginnings.

Reading for pleasure still has a place in my life—it clears my head and lets me escape like anyone else. But when it comes to creating characters and building stories, I don’t look to books. I look inward.

And here’s why: I don’t want to write someone else’s character by accident. I don’t want to absorb another author’s voice when I’m trying to find my own. I’d rather come up with my stories from scratch and then use a book if I need a reference for structure or pacing.

📌 Bottom line: I’d rather write my own world than borrow from one.

📈Reading My Own Work Teaches Me the Most

Want to know the most valuable reading I do? It’s when I reread my own work. Not as the author, but as a complete stranger. Someone coming across the story for the first time, unsure of what to expect.

That’s when I learn.

When I can separate myself emotionally from the pages, I catch things. I find weak spots. I uncover hidden strengths. I fix tone, add depth, and make the story more than something I simply survived writing.

That’s how I grow.

Don’t get me wrong—I love a well-written thriller, especially one that relies on suspense and subtle dread. Stephen King, for instance, showed me how to create tension through description, how fear doesn’t have to yell to be heard. His work has made me better. But not more creative. That part is all me.

😌The Pressure to Read Every Day? Let It Go.

In the early days of my writing journey, I let comparison get the best of me. Every blog, post, and video told me I needed to read daily if I wanted to be a good writer. And I bought it. I thought skipping a day meant falling behind. Like I’d miss some secret code all the “real writers” were using.

I felt like I had to mirror someone else’s creative path to find my own success. And it was crushing.

I wasted time trying to write like other people. I exhausted myself reading for obligation, not joy. And it slowed me down creatively.

Things only started to move forward once I realized this universal truth:

📚 There is no one way to be a writer. You just have to write.
Make mistakes. Rewrite the same sentence twenty times. Figure it out as you go. Your journey is the blueprint, not someone else's.

📣Reading Can Be Powerful—But It’s Not the Only Power

Let’s not pretend that reading is useless. That would be ridiculous. Reading does matter. It can teach you vocabulary, tone, rhythm, structure. It can help you understand how dialogue flows or how description affects tension. A good book can absolutely sharpen your skills.

But creativity? That spark that wakes you up at 3 AM with a plot twist?
That comes from somewhere else.

That comes from the part of you that needs to create. The part that doesn't settle for what's already been written. The part that looks at a blank page and says: "Let me tell you a story that hasn't been told."

And for me, that part doesn’t come alive when I read—it comes alive when I write.

🧪Trial, Error, and Everything In Between

My greatest lessons have come from doing it wrong.
From rereading old drafts and cringing. From feeling failure and facing it anyway.

I’m a visual learner. I need to see the mistakes on paper. I need to experience the growing pains to grow. Writing teaches me more than any book ever has. And while that might not be true for every writer, it’s the heartbeat of my process.

✍🏽 Writing is my teacher.
📉 Mistakes are my curriculum.
📈 Improvement is the result.

💬“If You Don’t Read, You Can’t Write”—Let’s Unpack That

Ever heard that phrase? I haven’t. But if I had heard it early in my writing journey, it would’ve messed with me bad.

It would’ve reinforced the lie that I wasn’t cut out for this unless I could read like it was a job. That I couldn’t build a writing career unless I studied stories like textbooks.

I think statements like that can damage emerging writers who are still building confidence. It would be more encouraging to say:

📖 “If you don’t read, write more.”
📖 “If you read often, don’t be afraid to fail on the page.”

Because both are valid paths. And both deserve to be respected.

🗣️Advice for Writers Who Don’t Enjoy Reading

Put the book down. Seriously. Put it down and don’t pick it back up unless you want to.

Reading isn’t a punishment. It isn’t a checklist item. It’s a privilege—something that should excite you. Don’t give your time to a story that doesn’t speak to you. If reading feels like a chore, it won’t serve your creativity anyway.

Only read what inspires, challenges, or captivates you.
Otherwise, write.

✍️Creating vs. Consuming

I’m most creative when I’m building. When I’m knee-deep in dialogue or figuring out a character’s fatal flaw. That’s when my mind is most alive.

But sometimes, I do need a break. And a good story—movie, show, or book—can help me reset. You should try both. Mix it up. Experiment. See what energizes you.

🌀 Creativity is a cycle. And you’ll only know what works for you by testing it.

📚Books That Did Shape Me

Stephen King’s Insomnia is one of the first books that showed me how slow can still be gripping. The way he built suspense without rushing me, without overwhelming me, taught me how to take my time.

And 11/22/63? I read it in elementary school and I’ve never forgotten it. His attention to emotion, the stakes, the real-world connection—it made me fall in love with storytelling. I knew from that book on that I wanted to write something that makes people feel deeply and sit with a story long after it ends.

🤔Defining Success as a Writer

I don’t have a single definition of success. Not yet.
Some days it’s finishing a chapter I didn’t think I could.
Other days it’s hearing that someone connected to a character I created.

Yes, I want to make a living off this. Of course. But more than anything, I want to get so lost in my own world that I forget I made it. I want to create stories that outlast me. Books that matter. Characters that feel like real people to the readers—and sometimes even to me.

I want to entertain.
I want to explore.
I want to grow.

That’s what success looks like for me right now.

🔗Final Thoughts: Write Your Way

If you’re reading this and you’ve felt out of place because you don’t devour books the way other writers do—take a breath. You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re building your own creative process.

Maybe you learn best through observation. Or maybe you’re like me, and you learn through experience. Through trial, error, failure, and revision.

Reading can be powerful, yes. But so can writing relentlessly, making mistakes, and learning from yourself.

You don’t need to read to be a writer.
You just need to write. And keep writing.
The rest? You’ll figure it out along the way.

✨ Let this post be your permission to stop doubting and start discovering.
Let it be the reminder that your voice is valid, your path is real, and your stories are worth telling.

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🗣️ Join the conversation!
Do you believe reading is essential to becoming a great writer—or do you learn more by doing? Drop a comment below and let me know how you feel about the “real writers read” debate. 👇🏽 Let’s talk!

#MindsInDesign #WritingAdvice #WritersLife #CreativityUnlocked #Makitiathompson