Are You a Reader?

Cindy R. Williams

Are you a reader? If so, good on you!  Reading not only takes you around the world without leaving your armchair, but if you pay attention to style, grammar, descriptors, and how the author uses dialog etc to make their points and tell the story, each book can be part of your own "Continuing Education" or "Writers University."  As a middle grade fantasy author, I find J.K. Rowling's HP Series about the best of all teachers. For romance, Donna Hatch does it well. For historical romance, Joyce DiPastena is Queen. For books set in the wild west, Marsha Ward. For humor, I get a kick out of Janette Rallison's books. Sarah Eden cracks me up too.

There are also many "how not to write" books out there. But even these are great to read because they teach you what not to do . . . So don't feel guilty when you open a bag of Cheetos or M&M's and loose yourself in a book. After all it is research.