They say that if you want to be a writer, you have to read a lot and write a lot. That makes sense. Readers want to read compelling stories populated with interesting characters. Writers must write compelling stories filled with interesting characters if they want their work to be noticed. So, writers can learn a lot from what they read. Even though I write fiction, I read both fiction and nonfiction. A good story is a good story, and great characters are great characters, whether real of imagined.
Anticipating that readers and writers will visit this blog, I’d like to offer my thoughts on some of the books I feel are worth reading, from both a reader’s and writer’s perspective. For the writers out there, I’ll pass along how a particular work has informed my writing and may inform yours. For the readers, I’ll comment on books that I’ve found entertaining, informative, or both. Some of the books I read are related to my genre, but many are not, so I’ll be reviewing a wide range of stories and genres.
On deck: I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. In the hole: Bruce (the definitive Springsteen biography). Note that these are nonficiton titles, but they are stories well told, and the authors give masterclasses on how to compress decades into a few hundred pages, an important skill for writers of fiction and nonfiction.