IWSG October 2019

It's the first Wednesday of the month - OK, it's Thursday for me because I'm running slightly late again while it's still Wednesday for others - and of course, it's time once again for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by the peerless Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to share writing fears and insecurities of all kinds in a supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere. This month's co-hosts are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Mary Aalgaard, Madeline Mora-Summonte and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor.

This month's optional question is: "It's been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don't enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?"

It seems like there's quite a lot going on in this question but overall, it makes me think that "a writer who does not read" could be compared to a unicorn - does such a creature really exist? No writer can exist in a vacuum and I do believe that we're all a composite of everything we've ever read. Of course, some of it will stick more than others and that probably has an effect on the genres we end up gravitating to. We need inspiration to write and that comes from the world around us but it also comes from the books we read. And no, I wouldn't expect other people to want my writing if they knew I didn't enjoy reading - I wouldn't trust an author who said that because reading is a joy that's indispensable. 

This question also inspires me to read more, as well as review. It's something I always need to get better (and quicker) at!

Don't forget to check out more IWSG responses here.