I was in the bookstore the other day, which one you ask? I visit all the bookstores in my area, I love to wonder around and look at the new and old books on the market. I have learned a lot as a writer from my visit, looking at the writing section is a favorite place you might find me thumbing through another book on the subject which I love.



The bargain section is my next favorite, either books which never made the big time or ones they are just very overstocked on at the time. I have bought many cookbooks from the bargain section. Then of course there is the horror section, I know it well. H.P. Lovecraft will always be a love of mine. He has inspired me to write, just as Robert E. Howard did when I read the original Conan series. His descriptions and flair just made things come alive.

The winter time is always the best time to wonder the bookstores. A nice hot cocoa with extra chocolate and maybe some raspberry flavor makes the trip out in the cold, oh so worth it. Wrapped up so warm with a hot chocolate is hard enough to break away from then added the cold outside always makes me stay just a bit longer.

Before I started going to the bookstores, I use to make these trips to the library. It was not uncommon to see me there on the second floor for hours at a time. It didn't take long looking through that card catalog before I just started wondering. I would go with so many things in mind I wanted to search for but when I got there my mind would go blank. It was then I started wondering through the library. It didn't take long before I knew the shelves to the point I didn't need the catalog. Need a book on physics? Five aisles down, on the left, bottom shelf and half of the next on at the top.

Even the people that worked at the library knew I was more knowledgeable then they were on the books on the shelves. They had no problem asking me a questions about a certain book. I had visited for years, I probably read eighty percent of the non-fiction section of that library. Even if I didn't understand the subject I would read the book trying to figure it out, and usually can out with knowing something.

The title of this article is "The Most Important Tip in the World for a Writer". Have you figured out what the tip is yet? No, it isn't you should wonder around a bookstore or library drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter night. The tip is reading. A writer should read just as much as they write. Don't just limit yourself to a certain genre or subject in the nonfiction section. Read everything.

Read bios, short stories, the classics, horror, sci-fi and fantasy. Read history, physics, and romantic novels. Read books on fishing, knot tying, and true crime. Read books on religion, culture, and death. Read books on science, computers, and music. The point is to read anything, everything, and most importantly keep an open mind when you read.

I have read just about every book on writing out on the market today. They speak of when to write, where to write, how to write. They speak of how much to write daily, grammar, spelling, plots, structure, and characters. They rarely tell you that to be a good writer you need to read work by other people. Yes, it helps a lot to read the genre of horror if you are going to write in that genre. You should always read all you can in the genre or area you want to write. Don't limit yourself though.

At the start of this article, I mentioned a couple of writers who I love and have helped me get motivated and pushed my desire to write. I mentioned then because they fall in the genre of which I write myself. I do have other writers and genre which pushed me as well.

"The Fireside Book of Fishing Tales" is a book I have read probably ten times, I couldn't tell you who wrote it, but it is a book that holds fond memories. I wish you could go buy it, but it has been out of print for a long time now. I would have paid the library that had it far more then the retail price new if they would have sold it to me. Actually I would have bought them every new fishing story book on the market for that book.

"The Pleasure Book" is another book which I remember reading well over twenty years ago now. I was in my teens visiting the library once again when I came across that book. No, it is not a book on sex. It is a book on finding the pleasure out of the simple things in life, like making bread, just sitting by a window, or going for a walk. I remember that book because it gave new meaning to cooking which is another favorite thing I love to do.

"Harpo Speaks" by Harpo Marx. It was the very first autobiography I ever read. I always loved the Marx Brothers. Harpo was my favorite, he could steal a scene without a word. His autobiography was probably the most honest book I had ever read. Until I read the one by Groucho Marx, I will just say we all have things we aren't proud of...

Reading is how I became a writer. There was the desire to write, but I never was pushed until I started reading. You ask didn't you go to school for creative writing? Weren't you an honor student in English? No. I actually hated English, failed all the time at it. I never started reading until my teens. Once I found the world of reading though, my writing started to take on a life of its own. My Muse got an education and learned how to crack the whip, and I got my wish to be a writer.

Reading is a way to continue to learn. As a writer you will always be learning. You will never know it all. Reading will give you a broader view of the world and the people in it, it will also open your mind to things you would never consider. I have told people the best tip to being a writer is to read. They usually ask me what to read then, my answer is to read everything. Go get yourself a library card, start at one end of the building and read your way to the other end. That would be a very good start.

I have written a lot on writing tips. I have learned the hard way when it comes to writing and love to help new writers. My personal struggles with my own writing drove me to write a tip on an area I still have trouble with myself. Writing is not a career, it is a inner journey to find out who you are and let out the creative soul you have locked up inside. All the books on how to write in the world will never help you to become a better writer unless you can see beyond yourself, take a step back and look at the world in a new light. That is why I'm telling you the best writing tip in the world is to go read.