How Only a Reader’s Brain Can Handle the Challenge of Writing Well

Investigating the connection between reading and writing well

Is your writing ability closely tied to your reading ability? Can your MRI scan prove that? I’ll try to prove my point in two minutes.

But first, why read anyway?

Knowing is a human need — like breathing or eating. If you are not feeling good, you do not always need to swallow a pill; sometimes, you need to read — or watch — something.

Sir Roger Scruton said, “Consolation from imaginary things is not imaginary consolation.”

National Health Service of UK started Reading Well, a Books on Prescription program to prescribe fiction and self-help works for some conditions.

Consider these three things: 1) what MRI scans say about your brain, 2) the Mathew effect, and 3) what famous writers say:

MRI scans reveal changes in the brain

MRI scans reveal that as your reading ability matures, the neuron network becomes more sophisticated — and electrical activity in the brain increases.

In a study, the participants read the novel Pompeii. As the story grew intense, more areas of the brain lit up. The brain connectivity of the readers remained high for days afterward.

When I read more, I write more. And it is better too.

What happens when I read more? My mind lights up. My ideas and experiences mix well to help me write well.

Mathew effect

The Matthew effect says that the more you read, the larger your vocabulary.

Your vocabulary is vital to express complex ideas.

When you read more, you live with well-written words. You also learn to structure your thoughts and present them more engagingly.

The more you read, the more readable your stories become.

What famous writers say

Ernest Hemingway thought reading was a way to learn to write well. “I think you should learn about writing from everybody who has ever written that has anything to teach you.”

The view of Stephen King is the opposite of Hemingway. “I am a slow reader,” he says. “But I usually get through seventy or eighty books a year, most fiction. I do not read in order to study the craft; I read because I like to read.”

How do you reconcile these opposing views?

When you read to learn about writing, you read slow. When you read to enjoy, you read slow.

Does it mean that the magic lies in reading slow?

Slow reading helps Stephen King dwell on the words he reads — and savor their taste.

If I linger on a word or sentence, my mind grasps it better. I often read, underline, or highlight thoughtful passages. When I reread them, I see more shades of meaning.

The more shades of meanings you see, the more heartfelt your writing becomes.

Final thoughts

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot,” Stephen King says.

But ask yourself occasionally: “Am I reading good stuff? Am I stimulating my mind?”

“Reading is the springboard to writing,” ~ says Joyce Carol Oates in her MasterClass

Reading inspires new ideas. It reveals new techniques of writing. It improves your vocabulary and lets you learn grammar in a proper context.

In short, reading well makes you write well.

You can read my curated stories here.