Reading and Writing

"Before you become a writer you must first become a reader. Every hour spent reading is an hour spent learning to write; this continues to be true throughout a writer's life." --@RobGMacfarlane, Landmarks

I found this quote in my Twitter feed, quoted by perhaps the best known reader in the United States, the amazing Nancy Pearl.

Rob G. Macfarlane isn't the first person to say it. Just about every writer started out by being a voracious reader, myself included. I think everything we read leaves a footprint in our memory. I remember reading A Little Princess and falling in love with London; the fog and the attic with the view of chimney pots and rooftops, the gaslights, and the scenes Sara Crewe glimpsed through lighted windows.

I read Alistair McLean's The Guns of Navaronne, before I saw the movie, and wanted to know more about WWII. I learned about heroism, courage and strength against impossible odds. He also left an impression in my appreciation of a good thriller.

Nancy Drew and later, Agatha Christie, started me on a love of mysteries, which continues to this day.

My mother instilled him me a love of reading, encouraged my writing, and even when she was in her nineties and Alzheimers and old age left her unable to read, she still liked to be read to. The last book I read to her was A Little Princess, the first book she gave to me, and one her mother had given her as a child.

So, I read, and I write, and I learn something new every day.