In 2025, I read more and wrote less, and it made a huge difference. I mean, HUGE.
Let me back up: I challenged myself to read more in 2025. I’d noticed that I hadn’t hit my Goodreads goal in a while, at least not without cramming the last week of December, and I also noticed that I wasn’t coming up with as many comps for my books. The comps I had were a few years old, and a big thing about being an author or working in the industry is that you have to be aware of current trends.
I want to be successful as an author, and I would LOVE to work in publishing one day. (Any agents out there looking for a remote intern? DM me.)
So, I challenged myself to read more. The first thing I did was make a new rule: I would not work on a book during the week. I would only work on my books on the weekends or holidays or the rare vacation day. During the week, I would read.
It’s made a significant difference. I’ve read more on my kindle (before bed), and I listen to audiobooks on my way to work and if I’m cleaning (Chirp and Spotify). I’ve listened to books I normally wouldn’t have read, like mysteries and thrillers.
I hit my Goodreads goal of 40 books halfway into November. (Yes, 40. No, I’m not one of those super readers who can read 500 books a year.) I’m closing in on 51 books read this year.
These changes have reshaped my approach to writing.
I thought at first that if I read more I would have less time to write, and I was right. I’ve written less this year. However, what I’m writing is better. The output is better, more refined. My first drafts are cleaner. I’ve found more inspiration. I’m finding comps for my books. I’m seeing repetitive tropes and overused plot devices. I’m seeing repetitive protagonists and love interests. (I’m getting a little tired of the broody MMC who’s just so in love with the FMC, who is also a secret heir with magic powers – but just a little.)
I’m also finding that certain books are super predictable – like I see every “plot twist” a mile away. (Like the author read only Sarah J. Maas and decided to write their own book.)
If someone would have suggested to me several years ago that I should be reading more, I would’ve said something about “not enough time,” or something about it cutting into my writing time.
(Honestly, they did tell me to read more. I didn’t listen.)
Here’s the truth: If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.
That’s a Stephen King quote, that is. (At least, I think it is.)
Now that I have partitioned off my writing time, my reading does not interfere. Reading more has improved my writing, because I’m not just writing the same thing as everyone else who read ACOTAR and Fourth Wing and Throne of Glass and Red Queen and The Hunger Games. (I’m also getting very tired of books that read like ACOTAR fanfiction, or just sloppy rewrites of Crescent City or Throne of Glass. They’re everywhere.)
As of right now, December 23th, I’m 51 books into my reading year. Some of those books I devoured in a few days. Some took me a while to get through. I read indie books and traditional books. I read books from BookTok, and I read books I’d never heard of before. I got Kindle Unlimited in November, which has contributed several books to my reading goal.
I do want to say that when I’m eyeball deep in a draft, I read less. The past month, I’ve been revising a high fantasy quartet, and my reading has decreased. But my rules of writing still stand: write on weekends, read during the week and before bed.
A problem I had that I didn’t realize I had until now was that I would be deep in a draft all the time. I would finish one project and move right into another one. I didn’t give myself time to recharge and refill that creative fuel tank. I didn’t give myself time to read like the book goblin I am on the inside.
So, to all my fellow authors and aspiring writers, READ.
Beatrice B. Morgan 