Like an artist studying a master in order to find their own style, I spent most of my childhood devouring books.
My bookshelves were filled with books about animals (Lucy Daniels and Jenny Oldfield were firm favourites), books about adventure (pretty sure I still have virtually every book Enid Blyton ever wrote. And I still read them), historical fiction (Caroline Lawrence writes this in a way that appeals to young readers) and more.
When I was younger, I only ever thought of myself as becoming a fiction writer for children. That was what I was going to do and that was the end of that. As I got older and realised there miiiiiiiight be one or two obstacles to this plan (such as having no agent and no clue what I was doing), I decided I’d like to become a journalist. Which I did.
And, when I switched career paths again and became a copywriter, it was surprising how reading all those books helped me to be a better writer.
Copy is the art of persuasion
Enid Blyton in particular taught me a lot about how people work. Her characters always have a motivation for their actions and this was very helpful in creating copy that compels and, ultimately, sells. In order to appeal to your audience, you have to understand them – and sometimes reading fiction can help me to be more empathetic and thoughtful.
Poetry is a masterclass in brevity
As a teenager, I read Alfred Lord Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, Rudyard Kipling and many more. Often, copy needs to be short, sharp and impactful – and I don’t think there’s a better crash course in compelling brevity than reading poetry. Poets need to pick the perfect words to say a lot in a short space of time, especially if you’re reading a haiku. All essential skills for a copywriter.
You learn without knowing you’re learning
As a reader, I picked up a lot of general knowledge without really knowing I was picking it up. Even in fiction (which is virtually all I read), there are often facts interweaved throughout the story. For example, one of Enid Blyton’s stories taught me that earwigs can actually fly. Which was an image I didn’t really want in my head, as I’m not a keen fan of earwigs.
These days, my taste ventures into mystery stories and thrillers. I love the twists and turns and how the author pulls something entirely unexpected out of the bag at the end of the story.
Oh, and I didn’t give up entirely on my dream of being a fiction writer because my debut novel for Young Adults will be out in 2024. But that’s another story entirely…
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