avatarJosh White

Summary

The key to producing high-quality written content is to consistently read quality content.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of reading as a fundamental practice for writers aiming to create valuable and impactful content. It suggests that the quality of what one reads directly influences the quality of their writing, as it enriches vocabulary, exposes one to various writing styles, and sets a standard for what constitutes good writing. The piece acknowledges that new writers may initially produce "empty content," but stresses the importance of moving beyond this phase quickly to avoid losing readership. It also references other writers and resources that support the claim that reading quality content is essential for becoming a better writer. The article concludes by providing a list of 39 external sources where one can find high-quality content to enhance their writing skills.

Opinions

  • Reading quality content is as crucial to a writer's development as writing itself.
  • Writers who read extensively are less likely to produce "empty content" and more likely to offer substantial value to their readers.
  • Regular reading of high-quality material helps writers to improve their vocabulary, understand the nuances of language, and distinguish between poor and quality writing.
  • Engaging with a variety of content styles and genres can inspire writers to develop their unique voice and improve their craft.
  • The article challenges the notion that writing every day is the primary key to improving writing quality, suggesting that the content of what one reads is equally important.
  • It is implied that a well-read writer is more likely to produce exceptional writing, much like a musician who listens to music or a filmmaker who watches films.
  • The article suggests that a writer's reputation and influence in their niche can be significantly enhanced by consistently reading and producing quality content.

The Secret to Writing Quality Content

It is also why writers must read as a necessity.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels

Far more than you realize, your reading bleeds into your writing.

If you are an addicted reader of quality content, it will show in your articles. There will always be ‘a give’ when readers go through your content. Something best described as the takeaway after someone reads your stuff.

On the other hand, readers also know when that ‘give’ is lacking. Such articles are best described as empty contents. And it is a waste of time when reading such articles — especially if when they have clicky titles that promise exactly what you want but couldn’t deliver on the promise down the reading journey.

As a young writer, it is difficult to avoid writing a few empty contents when you are just starting out.

As CamMi Pham rightly said in this article, “your first 100 blog posts will mostly suck.”

However, you don’t want to stay too long in that zone. Else, most readers will write you off after being patient with you for a while.

How to Improve the Quality of Your Content

Quality writing comes from reading quality content.

The secret to transitioning from writing empty content to writing value-giving content rest on your reading. That is to say, if you read quality content as a writer, it will reflect in your content.

Against most advice from many top writers on Medium, I thought writing every single day is what ups the statistics of my article base as well as improves the quality of my content.

For more than a year writing on Medium, I have held on to that belief — to my detriment. Unfortunately.

I don’t anymore, after discovering what I just shared with you in the opening sentence of this section:

For a writer, quality writing comes from reading quality content as a lifestyle — as much as writing is a lifestyle.

“There are two ways to become a better writer: write a lot and read a lot. Reading and writing are inseparable. The better writers have a tendency to be exceptional readers, and better readers can produce exceptional writing.”

“A writer who doesn’t read is like a musician who doesn’t listen to music or a filmmaker who doesn’t watch films. It is impossible to do good work without experiencing the good work that has been gone before.”

“A well-read writer has a better vocabulary, recognizes the nuances of language, and distinguishes between poor and quality writing.” Says Paul Heavenridge in the article series, Why Read? Reason #7. The More One Reads, the Better Writer They Become.

Author and writing teacher, Roz Morris, has a great take on this.

“Reading exposes us to other styles, other voices, other forms, and other genres of writing. Importantly, it exposes us to writing that’s better than our own and helps us to improve.”

Bottom line is, read quality content, and you will write quality content. Period.

39 Sources of Quality Content Outside Medium

Thomas Oppong covered this in his recent article, where he listed 39 sources of some of the best content on the web.

Here they are:

1.BBC — Future — Making you smarter every day.

2. Pocket Explore — discover the best and trending stories of the web.

3. Aeon — profound and provocative thinking content.

4. WikiWand — A slick new interface for Wikipedia.

5. The long read (The Guardian) — In-depth reporting, essays, and profiles.

6. Wait But Why — A popular long-form, stick-figure-illustrated blog about almost everything.

7. Farnam Street — master the best of what other people have figured out.

8. InsightfulQuestions (subreddit) — Intellectual discussions that are not necessarily genre-specific.

9. Fast Company’s 30-Second MBA — Learn great business and life lessons in short video clips from accomplished corporate executives.

10. University of the People — Tuition-free online university that offers higher education in multiple course streams.

11. OpenSesame — online training platform, now with 22,000+ courses.

12. The School of Life: A place that tries to answer the great questions of life with the help of culture.

13. Coursera — Coursera offers massive open online courses for free, in partnership with some of the best universities.

14. edX — Take online courses from the world’s best universities.

15. Quora — You ask the net discusses — with top experts and fascinating back and forth on everything.

16. Digital Photography School — Read through this goldmine of articles to improve your photography skills.

17. Brain Pickings — Insightful long-form posts on life, art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

18. Peer 2 Peer University or P2PU, is an open educational project that helps you learn at your own pace.

19. MIT Open CourseWare is a catalog of free online courses and learning resources offered by MIT.

20. Highbrow — Get bite-sized daily courses to your inbox.

21. Investopedia — Learn everything you need to know about the world of investing, markets, and personal finance.

22. Udacity offers interactive online classes and courses in higher education.

23. Mozilla Developer Network offers detailed documentation and learning resources for web developers.

24. Future learn — enjoy free online courses from top universities and specialist organizations.

25. Google Scholar — provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts, and articles.

26. The Creativity Post — high-quality content on innovation and creativity.

27. 99U (YouTube) — Actionable insights on productivity, organization, and leadership to help creative people push ideas forward.

28. Less Wrong — tools to make intellectual progress on important problems

29. Thinking Allowed — New research on how society works

30. Behavioural Scientist — Original, thought-provoking reports from the front lines of behavioral science.

31. Alison — Free online courses from the world’s top publishers

32. Big Think — Articles and videos featuring expert “Big Thinkers.”

33. Youtube EDU — The education videos that don’t have cute cats in boxes — but they do unlock knowledge.

34. This column will change your life (The Guardian) — Oliver Burkeman investigates routes to mental wellbeing.

35. DataCamp — Online R tutorials and data science courses.

36. Edge.org — ideas of the most sophisticated minds.

37. TED — Great videos to open your mind on almost every topic.

38. Scientific American — a guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology

39. Nautilus — a different kind of science magazine.

Final thought

You can’t separate great reading from great writing. Great readers make great writers.

If you read quality content, you can’t but write quality content. Content that offers value to your readers.

That is the reputation you need. And there is no better way to being an influencer in your niche.

The secret is feeding your mind with quality content. It is that simple.

Writing
Content Creation
Freelancing
Self Improvement
Learning
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