To write more, read more

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m trying to write every day. So far, so good. It’s been excellent, but it’s not always easy. There are times when I’m not sure what to write, and I find the reading is often the solution.

David B. Clear sums it up rather nicely by saying that writers’ block comes from a lack of inputs. Austin Kleon has a similar take, simply saying that problems of output are problems of input.

Read Writing

The first place to start is to read what others are writing. I’m developing a pretty solid process for that, and it helps immensely. I have a variety of reading-related goals that I try to hit every day (and I hit ~most days) and that makes blogging so much easier. As I’m reading and taking notes, I use a #blogideas hashtag in Roam Research and I always have a list of good ideas in there. The more I read, the more I put in there.

As David says, you can go well beyond reading to get ideas:

So don’t just rely on the written word for inspiration — books, blogs, and magazines. Add movies, TV, music, and podcasts to the mix. 

Austin goes a bit further and ties in a bit more overall adventure:

When I stall out, it’s time to start taking things in again: read more, re-read, watch movies, listen to music, go to art museums, travel, take people to lunch, etc. Just being open and alert and on the lookout for That Thing that will get me going again. Getting out the jumper cables and hunting down a battery.

In any case, if you have a desire to do more writing you should feed that habit by reading a lot more too.