I think some of us writers are guilty of not reading enough.

I know sometimes I get wrapped up in life and put reading on the backburner, but then my ‘to be read’ pile grows faster than I can get through it. Yet I still buy more books, borrow more, download more. It’s important to read because we can learn so much from other writers. I love how Jeffrey Deaver tricks and surprises the reader, Tolkien writes like he’s talking to you personally. There’s so much we can learn from other writers.

I’ve been trying to read more history lately. This includes junior books. Horrible Histories are brilliant because you get funny little details that you might not read in other kinds of history books. I love learning about other cultures, what people believe, how they lived. This research is so important if you’re writing a historical or fantasy novel.

It’s important to read both inside and outside of your genre, to help with your knowledge and to gain a greater understanding of the world and of its inhabitants.