If You Want to Write Well, You Must First Learn to Read Well

Actively keeping your writer’s hat on while reading is key

I’ve always been the laziest when it came to reading. If you’re going to judge a person’s intellect or intellectual curiosity by what and how much he’s read, you’re going to judge me as a very dumb guy. I wouldn’t even have too many arguments in defense.

However, in my mind, it isn’t about how much you consume as a reader, it is often about how you consume.

I could run through fifty amazing books in a year, but I may still come out on the other side as the same guy I was a year ago. The true value in reading is the fact that a book or an article is essentially someone else’s wisdom wrapped in a few hundred or thousand words — ready to be consumed.

But “consumed” is the key bit here.

Any kind of literature is a gold mine, and not a jeweler’s shop. So not everyone that goes in and pays the right price (time) will come out with shiny gold. You need to put in the effort to mine through the rocks to strike gold.

Every writer, and every story, has a lot to learn from — you just need to keep your mind open and pick the nuggets that will turn into gold for you. And for each of us the learning and value in each story, and in each book, is different.

I am going to pick five amazing writers, and some of their masterpieces that are my personal favorites and elaborate on what value I gain from each of these.

The Value of Integrity

Maria Rattray is an extraordinary writer who by profession was a teacher, before she decided to give that up to pursue her true passion in writing. She is a published author with many of her works available on Amazon. Yet, you’ll find her humble as ever, putting her wisdom into words, so the rest of us can learn from it.

One constant theme I’ve found across many of her works is the value of integrity in our lives — personal and professional.

She takes the example of Frances Perkins, an American worker-rights advocate and Former US Secretary of Labor.

Perkins stood apart from many of her peers, despite her father’s ideas about poor people. She fought tirelessly for the underdog, and achieved amazing turnarounds in conditions for the poor.

There is an element of integrity (or the lack of it) in all our actions — small or big — and Maria talks about these in her article, weaving them into day-to-day examples so we can all learn from it.

The Value of Responsible Parenting

Myriam Ben Salem wrote a piece that appears to be a piece on the deep-rooted problem of racism, and how it is only one form of discrimination, but then beautifully transforms into a story that talks about a potential solution for getting rid of this social plague.

Myriam very articulately ties back human behavior to the upbringing people have had and talks about how a racist person may also be a victim of the wrong kind of upbringing. After all, as I remember from the text of a debate I took part as a kid:

A child is like a piece of stone that can be moulded in any way, by parents and teachers.

In the constant debate of nature vs. nurture, Myriam stresses that nurture may play a significant part, and parents have a huge role in raising socially responsible humans who will then lead to a more “equal world.”

Myriam tells a beautiful story about how a mom educated her daughter about race by telling her a fictional story — or to some a “lie” and then explains,

I am more than happy to contradict myself and admit that I admire the lies of the mom in the story as long as they were her way to educate her daughter about equality!

You can find the full story here, and add tremendous value to your mindset, because it will truly open your mind up to new ways of looking at the same age-old beliefs.

The Value in Celebrating Our Own Success

Holly Kellums is a dear friend and an amazing writer — her true skills lies in letting herself be vulnerable and putting her heart and soul into the words she writes.

She’s also not one to mince her words, and you can trust her to not sugar-coat anything, and get straight to the point.

Have you ever felt ashamed in talking about your success and achievements because you feel others may see you as a braggart or a narcissist? Have you feared that your self-belief and confidence will be seen as arrogance?

I have, more times than I can count.

But I also strongly believe that it is the success of others that inspires us to push ourselves and strive for our own success. If we didn’t have heroes and idols to look up to, what then would be our true motivation?

Holly writes,

Oprah is truly the perfect example of someone who made it through the shiny gates and did so — not only by celebrating others — but by simultaneously and humbly celebrating herself.

Not many of us can refute that Oprah Winfrey is truly one of the most admired living beings in the world — and it is for a reason.

The Value of Emotions in Living a “Good Life”

Dew Langrial is, in my mind, the queen of the “art” of writing, and an expert in the “science” of it. If there’s one writer I can admit that I truly admire for her meticulous ethic, it has to be her.

She dares to help us answer a version of the age-old answer — Mind vs. Heart.

Is our intellect the leading light in our lives or is it emotions? Does one hold sway over the other? Are we blinded by emotions and give up on the “intellectual” front and make wrong decisions?

Or does intellect weigh everything up on objective principles, but life can’t be led on pure “rationale” because we’re all humans after all.

Dew summarizes it all up after careful analysis but the answer is seldom as simple as the eventual inference,

We can only guide ourselves with intellect to experience life through observation and study, but our feelings and emotions must ultimately guide us in living a good life.

The Value of A Healthy Body

Devika Malik is the final writer to make this list because she talks about the one central thing that is of utmost importance.

A healthy body is the pre-requisite to a healthy mind — and without well-oiled working machinery, we can’t really get much done.

This is why I personally put a lot of emphasis on taking care of this machinery and making sure health is a central priority no matter who we are, what we do, how busy we get.

Devika gives us a peek into her own journey of weight-loss, not because she thinks one body type is better than another, but because she achieved this via a process that made her move towards a healthier lifestyle, and the weight loss was a positive by-product of the process.

In health, as in many other things, it is often more important to do the right things and walk on the right path, rather than worry too much about the end results. If you follow the right processes, the end result will more often than not be a desired one.

As Devika puts it,

For me, this journey was not just about shedding some extra pounds but constructing a much more salubrious lifestyle. This was about rebooting my life and giving myself a clean slate for fresh beginnings. I did this for my self-esteem management and to get my long-lost confidence and control back. This new and positive approach made all the difference and kept me motivated through this time.

She details her process, in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step list that will provide valuable insights to many of us.

If you manage to read through a few of these beautiful pieces, you’ll end up a lot richer — because you’ll have had a chance to absorb 24-carat awesomeness from decades of experiences of these writers, in a mere matter of minutes — which is what I believe is the true power of reading!