#18 Reading to feed your writing
Much of what we've talked about so far has been about writing. But we’ve said very little about how much good writing requires reading well and reading enough.
Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash
I see writing as a cup and reading as the liquid that fills it. To this day, I haven’t met a single person who writes well without reading a lot. If you have, please message me—I’d love to know more.
One thing that helps me, and that I suggest you do, is to have writing “idols.” These are people who inspire your writing. They write for:
Similar needs, in a context relevant to yours
Similar audiences (e.g., product teams, designers, engineers, etc.)
One way to make this work is to create self-awareness about your reactions to the writing material you’re exposed to. Do you feel inspired by some or annoyed by others? What piece of writing empowers you? Or make you feel ambivalent? Once you figure this out, you can explore what specifically about that piece of writing triggers those impressions. Maybe it’s the word choice or the way the ideas are ordered.
Whatever it is, take note of it. These good practices will elevate your writing.
👋🏽I’m Meltem…
I empower you to excel in your tech career by providing actionable writing advice that sets you apart. I do this by:
📸Posting videos on Substack
✍🏽Writing articles on Medium
🙇🏻♀️Coaching sessions for career development in UX (Book your 1-1s)
🩷Hosting webinars and building community (Stay tuned!)