Give your newer sisters and brothers-in-WordPress one piece of advice based on your experiences blogging.
If you’re a new blogger, what’s one question you’d like to ask other bloggers?
(Make sure to visit one another’s posts today, to check ‘em out and respond!)
Read.
My teachers in writing and literature classes could never stress this enough: to be a writer, one must be reader. We read in class. We read outside of class. We read in between classes. We read while eating. If it were believable, we read in our sleep.
Why read when you could just write?
True. One can write without having to read stuff. But how long could you keep up the act? How long before your well runs dry?
“I read my stuff!”
Okay. If you keep reading just the things that you yourself wrote, you may just unknowingly plagiarize yourself one day. And that is not flattering, however you put it. How long before you realize you’re just repeating yourself and your posts? Or keep referring to the old ones because you don’t know how else to write them?
By reading news, posts, and other blogs, you not only increase someone’s stats or contribute to the site but you also enrich your vocabulary, refresh your perspective, and possibly even broaden your horizon.
Never limit yourself by being proud of what you have done or wrote or blogged. Read. And read more.
like reading on trains 
My English teachers always said the same thing. I’ve found it really helpful over the years. Thanks for your advice.
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You’re very much welcome.
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Thanks for visiting our blog, I enjoyed your daily prompt! Jill
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Thank you so much!
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🙂
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I admit I don’t read as often as I should or would like to. I get bored too easily. I think I shouldn’t be so lazy and give up before giving other writers a real chance. Great advice, thanks.
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I felt the same way a few years ago until a friend recommended a series for me. And that started me reading again because–being a series–there was continuous follow-up. And since it is a good series, I craved for the books and reading. Before I knew it, I redeveloped the habit of reading.
Hope you do get to read more!
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Good advice! Read, read, and read some more. 🙂
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Thank you so much!
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🙂
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Good point! Thanks!
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Thank you for the compliment.
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Great advice. Just finished rereading “The Great Gatsby.” Gotta be ready for the movie. 🙂
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Thanks! I haven’t read “The Great Gatsby” but I have been under the impression that was already shown–until I heard the radio commercials this week.
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I am a writing teacher and a blogger as well and I completely agree with you! As I read my favorite blogs I wish I had the opportunity to write every time another blog post inspires me…reading, be it other bloggers or your current novel, taps into some hidden, unexplored part of your brain and discovers wonders you never knew you could create… Thanks for this lovely read, Alexandra
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And thank you so much for the compliment!
As with reading, writing also takes time. We just have to live with that fact.
Hope you keep inspiring your kids to read and write.
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I will keep doing my best to inspire my students…btw, I quoted you in my most recent blog post, hope you get a chance to visit 🙂 read you soon!
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i love this sentence, it cracked me up ! “Okay. If you keep reading just the things that you yourself wrote, you may just unknowingly plagiarize yourself one day. ” This is some great advice you have here. Thank you 🙂 Definitely true that reading other people’s thoughts on topics that you don’t ordinarily ruminate on, get you thinking about your own feelings about them.
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I wasn’t gunning for hilarity wasn’t but I’m glad that made you smile.
And yes! Someone could approach something from a different angle, something that you’ve seen before but–because of what they wrote–you could see it anew and different from before.
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Great advice! I’m an avid book reader, but get far behind sometimes in the other readings! I’m going to work on that!
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Thank you.
Admittedly, even I have quite a backlog on my readings but I keep at it. Even if it’s just five minutes or even less, I read. Progress is progress.
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I started writing and did not have time to read much. Then I read another blog who advised writers to keep reading. Aside from blogs, I read a little bit every day too.
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That’s great! You change yourself and your world with everything you read, no matter how much or little it is.
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you’re right! we have to read the writtings of others ,but some time i get so passionate with that and i don’t have the strength to write my own,i even scared to write when i read something excellent.But I’m working on it!
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I know the feeling–to be hesitant.
But don’t let it keep you from writing. Think of those “scary” moments as trying to gain momentum, a preparation for the leap that your words would make from your mind to the page to the rest of the world.
Be brave.
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Unfortunately I have fallen out of my voracious reading habits that I once had. I need to rekindle those.
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That happened to me too.
A friend unknowingly helped me by telling me to read a series of books. It’s a well-written series that’s why, after the end of every book, I craved for the next. So I ended up buying the next book, even without prodding from my friend. And before I knew it, my reading habit was back.
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I love it when that happens.
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Mati – Reading is a great source of learning and inspiration for sure; and of course as a blogger, I love what you said about helping one another. The other thing I love about reading is how it can expand your own sense of writing adventure – to try new styles, experiment with voices, put things together in ways new to you. It’s like ‘cross training,’ as I call the evening events where we both write and make art. We go back and forth; write, then create art from the writing, then write from the art. So rich! Thanks for your thoughts.
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And thank you so much for the beautiful words.
I could almost hear my former teachers in your words; they told me and the rest of the class to never be afraid of being creative with any of our writing styles. We may hit. We may miss. But that always meant improvement. And we should never stop improving ourselves and help others do the same. And we should never stop reading.
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It is certainly by reading what others have written that you can make connections with people 🙂
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Yes! I believe so too.
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really nice:)
I nominated you for the Shine On Award. Should you choose to accept, please follow the instructions posted on my home page. Love your blog! ♥
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Wow! Thank you so much.
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very well said. it’s by reading other people’s work that you get to improve your writing and know their thoughts and ideas on various subjects.
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Thank you!
Other writings (by other people) could inspire you or help you improve. I’ve always believed that.
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Have to agree. Loved reading my whole life and only had the guts to start writing now. Reading opens the mind and floods you with ideas, concepts, wordplay and a lot of other amazing tools you can implement in your own writing.
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True!
It’s like how inspiration passes from one person to another via the pages and words.
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Libraries and book stores are my favoite places … yes, reading is fundamental. Good advice
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I think so too! And they are one of my many favorite places.
Thanks.
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Thank you so much!
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Great advice. Discussing what you read is important too. Having a chance to delve deeper into the text with others thoughts with your own makes the adventure all the more thrilling. Thanks.
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You’re welcome!
And thanks for reading.
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