One of the best writing tips I ever received was to read more. For me.
Reading is falling into endless worlds that other writers have created. Reading is a joy, but it’s not as stimulating as TikTok and Instagram and sometimes I find myself getting caught in the trap of social media.
I made a goal to read more books for myself. University doesn’t give any of us students that much free time, but I was burning out and in desperate need of something to ease the stress. In the middle of midterms with a full course load, I set my alarms an hour early every day and spent an hour reading.
I ended up reading Shame On Me: An Anatomy Of Race and Belonging by Tessa McWatt. Her seamless and poetic prose engrossed me. My margins were full and the chapters filled with endless highlights.
I found myself wanting to wake up two hours early, just to squeeze in some extra pages. I’m a slow reader because I engage deeply, I take time to write notes, reactions, and feelings. But I, quite frankly, couldn’t put this book down.
Then inspiration hit.
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
I had been working on an independent project and was feeling dejected. Writer’s block was cement around my hands. But once I read Tessa McWatt’s searing memoir, I began tackling my independent project. The topics were connected, dealing with race and belonging, but I was truly inspired by her writing style.
There was something magical about the way McWatt sewed together her personal experiences as a Guyanese-Canadian with critical theory about colonization, race and immigration. I loved that her ideas challenged me, they truly forced me to ask myself how I fit into the social dynamics she speaks of.
I didn’t agree with all of her arguments, but I fell in love with her prose. This book challenged my view of the world and forced me to change my perspective. Chapter by chapter it spurred new ideas and had me scribbling in journals at restaurants.
Reading this book was not about school. It was a Christmas gift that I had been eyeing for a month. When I decided to make time for it, this book inspired me to find my voice again.
Reading always forces a change in perspective. When you engage with other literature you give yourself the chance to step outside of the box.
The box is stressful. The box is suffocating. That’s why I had cement hands, it’s because I was sitting in the same perspective and thinking circles around myself.
“Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world.”
Jeanette Winterson
Once I saw the tremendous impact that reading for fun had on my mood and on my grades, I decided to continue this effort. I started listening to audiobooks while I walked my dogs, or did dishes, or cooked, or cleaned. I started listening to audiobooks in the car, and sparking real joy in my life again.
I’ve always found that those of us that are drawn to writing are often inspired by those authors that raised us. A book doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good, it just has to matter to you.
My favourite book series is Twilight and I’ve read it a hundred times. It doesn’t matter that it’s a sappy teen drama, or that Bella and Edward have become a meme-able trope. What matters is that when I read it, I see the versions of myself that came to this same world, and reflect on the ways my reading of it has changed.
Reading isn’t a cure-all, but it changed my internal environment and allowed me to step outside of myself. Sometimes what you need to be inspired is to let go.
Life is busy, and it will always be one thing after the next. I started making time for reading, for myself, in the middle of midterms. I had to create that time, but it was time well spent, time that gave me new academic fervour.
Step outside of your comfort zone. Read something you’ve been dying to pull out of your To Be Read pile. You’ll be happy, which in turn will inspire you to keep writing.
“Books are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Citations:
Poetry, Prose, & Peonies 
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