The creative center of every writer is reading.
You read for pleasure, on a whim, and to be inspired.
Writers can even read to realize that they are capable.
Personally – and I don’t want to get any fights started about physical books vs. electronic books – I read almost exclusively off the Amazon Kindle app on my iPhone.
I prefer physical books – but have taken to electronic books as a matter of
First, the electronic books on my phone are completely convenient and portable.
And second, reading this way has the added value of allowing me to easily copy and paste quotes for later use.
My favorite place to read is of course in bed late at night.
My second favorite place? Everywhere else.
Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life. I take a book with me everywhere I
go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in. The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as in long swallows. Waiting rooms were made for books—of course! But so are theater lobbies before the show, long and boring checkout lines, and everyone’s favorite, the john. You can even read while you’re driving, thanks to the audiobook revolution. Of thebooks I read each year, anywhere from six to a dozen are on tape.
-Stephen King, On Writing