National Book Lovers Day is coming up on August 9th—for those who celebrate—and it feels like the perfect excuse to talk about something every writer already suspects: reading makes us better writers. But why?

In our book inc Memoir Incubator messaging channel, one of my classmates mentioned that she was in a slump. She was feeling that her memoir writing “had no flair.” I would be lying if I said that I haven’t felt like that at multiple points this year, and I am sure there are similar moments in my future. For my classmate, the only thing that got her out of her slump was reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck and after that, her writing felt a bit more alive. 

Many researchers have studied the reading-writing connection. Does reading actually have a positive effect on our ability to write, or is it the placebo effect? How can one piece inspire us so much that the fog in our brains is miraculously lifted, and we suddenly feel like we can write again?

For some of us, it’s structural: we notice writing styles that move us and recognize sections of work that we admire, which encourages us to sit down and test it out. Some of us even analyze structure while we read, preferring a different format or way of addressing the audience.

But reading also feeds our subconscious. When we read, our brain is making connections that we may not even notice. This is called implicit learning, where we subconsciously link past experiences to what we read. In fact, studies have demonstrated that reading a novel significantly increases the communication, or connectivity, between brain regions while in a resting state (Berns et al., 2013). You aren’t imagining that your brain works better when you read more often; it really does!

This research may help explain why many writers find it helpful to read the genre they are writing. I have been partaking in this method, and lately, since I am in the process of writing a memoir about grief and trauma, I have read the following to enhance my writing skills and experience. I have mentioned many of the below in previous journals, but I wanted to include a comprehensive list here with how they have helped me in my writing. I hope you enjoy!

Memoirs

• The Year Of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
  • Tone: This is my favorite memoir of all time. I never felt that someone could accurately describe what it felt like to be in a fog of grief until I read this book. She writes in a calm and composed tone, although the reader can tell that her life is falling apart. I realized that the tone of this book was what I wanted to achieve in my memoir.
• Know My Name, Chanel Miller
  • Importance of small moments: Although this memoir does not revolve around the same trauma I endured, I still learned a great deal from this book. Miller laid out a clear timeline for the reader, and I was never confused about when something was occurring. She demonstrated the emotional toll that her trauma had on her by emphasizing small, quiet moments that she endured. This inspired me to make use of scenes that could easily be skipped over, but can actually be used to show more about the author’s experience.
• Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
  • Naive narrator: This memoir changed the way I think about the author’s point of view. At first, I thought that I would look back at childhood memories and include information that I have gathered up until now. However, McCourt tells his story from a child’s perspective, paying close attention to what he would have known or understood at the time. This caused me to empathize with him even more, and inspired me to rewrite some of my childhood memories.
• Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
  • Memoir topics: I thought about this book for months after I read it. Alderton demonstrated new ways to portray platonic and romantic relationships, and encouraged me to write about important friendships in my life. She was not afraid of the audience viewing her as flawed, which makes the reader trust her. She also incorporated many different formats in her memoir, including lists, emails, and receipts.

Fiction & Historical Fiction

• Burial Rites, Hannah Kent
  • Incorporating history & a clear setting: In this book, the facts intertwined with the plot really changed the game. It made me really think about the setting of my writing, and make sure that the reader always knows where they are in space and time.
• The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah
  • Multi-point-of-view: This is one of my favorite works of historical fiction, told from the perspective of different characters. This format worked perfectly for the story, and made me ponder how I could do something similar in my work.
• The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
  • Author writing style: Can you tell I like Kristin Hannah? Although this book was fiction, the writing style was fantastic and inspired me to do new things with my work.

These books inspire me to keep writing. Even when it feels like I have no gas left in the tank, I can sit down and try rewriting a memory from a child’s perspective like Frank McCourt, or dissect a small moment from my journey like Chanel Miller. And even if I don’t feel like writing, taking a minute to regroup and pick up a book is helping me make these connections, even if I don’t even know it yet!

Berns, G. S., Blaine, K., Prietula, M. J., & Pye, B. E. (2013). Short-and long-term effects of a novel on connectivity in the brain. Brain connectivity, 3(6), 590-600. https://doi.org/10.1089/brain.2013.01