Writing has made me a better reader

(Note: I'll be moving all writing-themed posts to my Tumblr shortly.)

I made an informal New Year's resolution to write everyday, excluding blog posts, which I'm convinced have made me a worse writer. Actually, that's not true. The medium itself hasn't made me a bad writer, the highly self-conscious nature of writing polemically has. It's hard to just sit down and put pen to paper when you're mentally applying every possible criticism to your writing, only to have someone point out flaws you couldn't even begin to anticipate.

Not that I think that anyone's writing should go unchallenged -- that's part of the payoff of publishing, even on a one-person blog. But if you want to improve as a writer, it's nearly impossible to when you're constantly self-editing and checking for bias.

I know I pump NaNo and NaNo-related projects a bit too much, but the idea of setting a goal appeals to  nerd in me. And the community that has grown around NaNoWriMo is really supportive, even in the "off season." Another thing I've noticed since I've been making an effort to write every is my reading has improved. Or rather, my critical reading skills. This is probably reason enough alone to write, even if you have no desire to publish. Right now, I'm happy with something that wouldn't embarrass me in a writing workshop.