Nib #44 — What to Read to Become a Better Writer

One of the most common questions I get from students and young professionals is, “What should I read to become a better writer?”

The short answer is everything. But of course that’s no fun.

So, here are few thoughts on Reading To Improve Your Writing:

1. Read old things. The classics are classics for a reason. The U.S. education deprives students of them, so must of us have to make up for as adults. If you haven’t read the ancient epics — the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid — you should probably start there.

2. Read poetry. Another of modern education’s blindspots, poetry is writing at its most vivid and trenchant. Its concision and imagery, shorn of clutter and distraction, show what language can do when wielded with enough care and thought. (If you’re not sure where to start, Homer, Shakespeare, Dickinson, Eliot, and Frost will keep you busy for a while.)

3. Read out loud. Language is meant for the ear, not the eye. Writing involves more than vocabulary and syntax. Rhythm, flow, imagery, tension and other qualities of good writing are most easily learned by hearing how it’s done.

4. Read the King James Bible. Even Catholics who think it’s missing a few books cannot but grow — mind and soul — in the KJV’s pages. It’s the book most responsible for shaping American culture and honing the English language into the world-conquering force it has become.

5. Read different writers. Reading Hemingway and Wodehouse is fun. Reading Faulkner or Joyce, less so. But reading different kinds of writers — seeing how each tackles different situations, character types, action and introspection — will help you learn how to do it in your voice.

6. Read different subjects. The human brain is the only computer that runs faster them more information you put in it. So, fill it with all kinds of stuff, not just content immediately relevant to your daily life. What do you know about farming? Or quantum mechanics? Or high finance? Or Uruguay? Or Martin Van Buren? Or bluegrass music? Good writing comes from good thinking — new and novel combinations and syntheses of ideas. The more stuff you know, the more of those connections you’ll be able to make, and the more inventive and compelling your writing can be.

7. Read Jane Austen. No other writer condenses more moral or psychological insight in such lively prose. It’s like the Bible, with jokes.

Until next week… keep writing!

< Older Nib

Newer Nibs >

Nib #66 Ten Poems Speechwriters Should Memorize

April 11, 2025

James Michael Curley's list of must-haves for public speakers (and speechwriters).

Nib #65 Be a One-Eyed Writing King

April 4, 2025

Two essays point to a generational opportunity for young writers.

Nib #64 When Lincoln Wrote Badly on Purpose

March 28, 2025

Honest Abe was a great writer -- especially the one time he wasn't.

Nib #63 Break Up Long Paragraphs

March 21, 2025

Not today, Satan.

Nib #62 Slotkin’s Rope-a-Dope Response

March 14, 2025

The official Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s big speech before Congress last week offered the country not only a contrast of political visions, but of rhetorical strategies. Trump’s address was defined by — and indeed, succeeded on — the strength of its concrete details: specific programs cut, specific heroes lauded, specific private-sector investments announced (See Nib #61 ). Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin’s nationally televised speech immediately following Trump was, too. But not obviously. Most of the specific details of the speech were biographical, in the first 100 words. After that, Slotkin glazed over issues with airbrushed generalities: “We need to bring down the price of things we spend the most money on…” “… change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe…” “Today’s world is deeply interconnected…” “We are a nation of strivers.” The climax of Slotkin’s speech was almost a parody of homogenized political banalities. The two things we need to overcome today’s challenges, according to Slotkin and her speechwriters: “Engaged citizens and principled leaders.” Woof. On the other hand, Democrats know this poll-tested pap won’t move the needle. So what’s really going on here? The most likely answer is what boxers call the “rope-a-dope.” That is, Slotkin’s — and by extension her party’s — plan here is to put up perfunctory, superficial resistance to bait Trump into overreaching or punching himself out. This is what Muhammed Ali famously did to George Foreman in 1974.