“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading”, as quoted by James Boswell, is a very true statement indeed. It is often said that the best way to express oneself is through writing. A writer expresses himself or herself in the form of written text, which may be his or her own output or, in some cases an influence from other sources. A writer automatically shares a typical trait of being a voracious reader. The maximum number of thoughts that a writer gets come from reading various books and other writings.
The more a writer reads, the more novel thoughts he acquires from them. Sometimes it is immense fun to read other’s writings. “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write, a man will turn over half a library to make one book” (Samuel Johnson, 82). The amount of material a writer desires to have so as to create a text comes largely from the various materials the writer reads. Many writers borrow foreign ides and words and turn it into a new and revised text, which they publish under their name. Without reading other texts, its nearly difficult and, if one may say so, impossible to write a brand new, genuine piece of writing. It’s only with the aid of sample writings and others that one can collect the required amount of matter for his/her work.
Nonetheless, there are several writers who jot down their own words to create a piece of work, unlike those who tend to get influenced. They make an effort to think and visualize and finally create a genuine writing. Apart from these two, there are those, who make use of both the gift and the borrowing and the influence factor. Part of their work piece is real, or we can say their own. And, part of it is maybe plagiarized or borrowed with a few changes here and there. Such writers also make use of the habit of reading as much as they can. The reason being, they don’t want to put an effort into making use of their own brainpower, they don’t want to think and create a new idea or thought.
When it comes time to write, because I’ve read so much, the words come so much easier to me. I think regularly reading good authors spurs your brain to begin naturally recognizing familiar ways of wording things and arranging ideas. (Jesse, The easiest way to become a writer)
The major beauty behind any writing is the degree of genuineness it holds. The more genuine a writing is, the more it will be admired and appreciated by the readers. The best way to produce such a work is to give your mind an exercise, think and write. On the other hand, reading should be done only to learn new things and ideas, but not to borrow them and include them in one’s own work. Desperate writers must beware and try to induce a genuineness factor in their writings. Only then will the real writer in them, come out. “Whenever someone younger asks me for advice in writing, I always say ‘Read!’ because that will teach you what good writing is like, and you will recognize bad writing too.” (George Beahm)
Writing is not everybody’s cup of tea. So, its better to quit than to create a mixture of different writings, which may be admired once, but later, it will be difficult to create another piece. One, who is real and original, will prevail, and one who is not so, may prevail for some time, but will soon perish into oblivion. The best way to serve readers is through original writing. And, the best way to learn from other books is to retain one’s originality, while learning new ideas.
Works Cited Page
Samuel Johnson. The Well Crafted Argument. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
George Beahm. Muggles and Magic: An Unofficial Guide to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter Phenomenon, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2006
Jesse. The Easiest Way to Become a Writer. 2008. Web.