They go hand in hand, needless to say. I wanted to be a writer because I loved reading so much. I wanted to do for other people what writers were doing for me.
In a presentation to a large group of teenagers, I was once asked about the connection between reading and writing. An eager looking young girl put her hand up at the Q&A part of the session, got hold of the microphone and asked ‘Do you have to read if you want to be a writer?’
Dozens of answers flashed through my mind, but I went with the first. ‘Yes.’
Her reaction? ‘Oh, bummer,’ she said, downcast.
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