There are a lot of things I still don't know about being a professional writer. Most of what I don't know has to do with the publishing process. The internet is filled with pages of advice and tips which worked for other writers. Some are written by literary agents and publishers telling the writers what they prefer.
      What I do know about writing I learned from two very good English professors and from doing a lot of reading. My advice at this point is if you want to be a good writer, read books and a lot of them. The most well-known and popular authors, even though you may consider their work trash, know how to develop characters and plot lines, use proper grammar, and keep the action flowing. I don't want to write exactly like my favorite authors, but I think I've learned a lot by reading their books.
     I watch a few crime dramas on television, but I've read very few crime novels. It's been years since I've read a mystery or detective story. Some people might say this is a disadvantage because I won't know what's currently popular in the world of crime novels. I think it's been very helpful to me. Television shows last less than an hour, so while they provide me with the basics of various types of crime, they're not detailed when it comes to character development. By not reading a lot of crime novels, I'm not as tempted to use someone else's style or use the same basic plot lines, even if I add my own little twists. I'd rather watch forensic science documentaries, then create my own crime scenes and motives.
     If it weren't for me being an avid reader, I don't think I could've ever thought about being a writer. Why would I want to write a novel if I never read them? I know the types of stories that bore me and those which keep me up late at night because I don't want to put the book down. Only by reading did I learn what separates the good stories from the rest. How successful I've been in creating a story that keeps people awake at night so they can keep reading is yet to be seen.
     I think the most important thing I've learned from reading what I consider good stories is to move the action along in one direction and then, at the very end, take the action in a direction totally unexpected by the reader. In a horror story, the vampire ends up saving the world by killing himself. In a story about a natural disaster, the disaster can provide greater good than the damage it causes. And, in a detective novel, the killer might just be the sweet old lady no one suspected.
     While I'm writing my own novels, I still take a few days off so I can read. I don't think that will ever change. I can enjoy plunging into someone else's world for as long as it takes me to read the book. Stephen King and Frank Peretti will never have to worry about me not buying their next best seller. Even while I'm reading for pleasure, I'm still learning more about writing.