Writers should read a lot.

I did a post in September 2024 that maybe suggested a writer should not read. I want to clarify that is not specifically what I meant. Writers should read as often as they can or have a strong history of reading their genre. I aimed my former post at reading while intensely writing. While deeply emersed in a manuscript, I do not personally find the time to read as my head is full of my own ideas that I want to get into my book. However, I do read and have read a lot of my genre and dabbled in others. Sometimes I read because I liked the book or author and other times to see how other writers coupled things together with their writing style. But to clarify, authors should read. Specifically, their own genre to avoid copying someone else’s plot and to gauge what readers are getting from other authors they may not be getting from you. But ultimately, you, as a writer, must find your own balance to reading and writing and define your own unique style.