Author Intrusion: Did You Read This?

My life as an author began because of my deep passion for reading. I literally read words from the time I wake up in the morning (reading the Yankee box score in the New York Post) to the time I go to bed at night (reading a fiction novel or a non-fiction work on a subject that interests me.)

My love of reading was a gift from my mother, who is still reading just as much as she ever has. There are very few trips made to Mom and Dad’s house without a gander at the books she’s finished and is just waiting to share.

I was always nervous giving my mother a copy of my books to read because she is such a voracious reader. I was worried that she might see right through me. Thankfully, she has loved each of my efforts.
Yet each and every time I do a book signing or an appearance, I am asked about what I like to read. Students, book club members, other authors, and even the janitor on the way in wants to know whom I read.
I usually begin talking about Steinbeck, switch to John Irving, mention Stephen King’s The Stand and become particularly annoyed if someone mentions The DaVinci Code (I hated that book.)

Yet do you need to read to be a good writer? My answer is a shout-from-the-mountaintops “YES!” How can you craft a story if you never read one? How can you develop characters if you aren’t exposed to poorly developed ones? (See The DaVinci Code.)

I have not read every book ever written. As the discussion goes on, someone will eventually mention the greatest book ever written that has somehow slipped by me.

“Oh, you just have to read it!” the person will squeal.
I’ll certainly try. I’ll read as much as I can, every day, for the rest of my life. If you love the craft of writing, you just have to.

Cliff Fazzolari is a professional writer and prolific author. He is on the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo PICU Parent Advisory Council. He currently resides in Blasdell, New York.