College of Pension Actuaries

Reading is a culture that most people find hard to adopt, especially with the busy lifestyles that leave very little room for leisure activities. However, if you really want to become a good writer in any field, reading must become your companion in life. Try to read other people’s works, especially well-known writers in your field of writing, and set this as a personal goal. For instance, you could make it your goal to read at least one book every month, and then find a way of monitoring yourself to ensure you are actually doing it. Remember that starting a new habit is never easy, so talk to a friend or family member to ask you every once in a while whether you are doing this.

You may want to ask, how does reading help my writing? Well, here’s how:

(a) Improves your stock of vocabulary and richness of expression: Although the use of big words in writing other than for academic purposes is not usually encouraged (simple language tends to be more favorable for the average reader), knowing a few additional words and how to use them may just provide that extra punch to your writing. The idea is not really to borrow other people’s expressions, but to open your eyes to new possibilities and more creativity.

(b) Inspiration: One man’s verse could be another man’s chapter or paragraph. Some of the best poems I have written were inspired by reading the works of other poets. Don’t ever be deceived that your writing talent is the best; there are other writers out there who have the very gems you are looking for to beautify your own writing. Sometimes a poem can be the inspiration for a short story, or a short story can inspire the script for a film. Inspiration is a valuable asset that every writer needs to have, especially in creative writing.