Reading

In the video below, our three visiting authors share their opinions about reading, and its role for writers.

Evelyn Lau talks about reading as part of her process in figuring out what other authors are doing, Matt Rader describes reading as fuel for a developing writer — and Andreas Schroeder talks about reading as one of many sources of ideas for writers.

Writing 12 doesn't come with a textbook. So are there assigned readings? Some of the modules will ask you to read a piece which will either be provided in the course content, or through a link to another website. Or you will be asked to find a book at your local library. These readings will be critical to understanding the lesson. Outside of these, your reading for Writing 12 will be by your own design.

Assign your own reading! There are two kinds of reading we having in mind —

1. Reading in your genre: Books of poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, or published stage plays and screenplays. Be sure to read in the genre you are working on in the course. Once you have completed the "Dabble" section of the course and are picking your two genres for the "Go Deeper" section, be sure to seek out books by authors in those genres you wish to focus on, and keep track of what you really like.
2. Reading about writing: In the "General Resources" section in General and Videos, we have included a list of books and websites about creative writing that you might find useful (and that we found useful in making this course). These can be helpful, but be careful not to spend too much time reading these. The bulk of your reading should be focused on creative works in the genre you are studying at the time.