Impressive content writers combine a hearty vocabulary with an in-depth understanding of how words complement each other from a life of passionate reading.

If you’re looking for content writers that can craft creative, engaging content that brings visitors back, put academic qualifications and prestige on the back burner. The surest sign that a content writer can transform dry, staid material into compelling content isn’t where he or she went to school. It’s how much —and what — that writer reads. Content writers who read voraciously tend to be better writers — but why?

Writers Who Read …

Have Good Vocabulary

A writer who spends his or her time reading doesn’t just have a wider vocabulary, he or she also understands the nuances of how each word fits, both its denotation — literal dictionary definition— and its connotation — the non-literal, cultural definition. The end result is a smooth, seamless whole that puts the reader’s attention squarely on your message, not a jarring or awkward choice of words.

See also: Write Wisely: Word Choice and Impact

Understand Different Registers

The Internet is a strange place. One moment you’re reading abbreviated text-speak on social media and the next you’re consulting PubMed to find out whether sitting is as bad for you as they say. A content writer who spends a lot of time browsing and reading will have an instinctive grasp of the different registers — or distinct writing voices — you see on the Internet. That means this writer has a versatile writing voice and can switch registers for different kind of content directed at different audiences.

See also: Millennials to Baby Boomers: Create Content for Your Audience’s Generation

Recognize Story Flow

We’ve all had that moment: you’re reading a good book, thoroughly engrossed in the world the writer has created and then — bam —you run into a construction or word choice that snaps you right out of the story. A writer instinctively understands what creates those land mines and avoids them. Content writers who read create stories and worlds that actually work, then adapt them gracefully to any context whether it’s a full-length novel or a simple blog post.

See also: The Essential Ingredients to Writing a High-Quality Blog Post

Try Different Tactics

A writer who reads will instinctively steer clear of repetition because he or she intimately knows it’s distracting. A well-read content writer will fearlessly branch out and try new constructions, new words and new imagery because they know when they’ve hit a combination that delivers the right message.

Have Creative Ideas

Good readers mark up their books and newspapers. For them, reading isn’t what they do to bore themselves to sleep, it’s active curiosity. This means that good readers will ask questions when new information conflicts with their understanding of the world, which is often an understanding many share. From there, these readers develop fascinating ideas of what misunderstandings to explore with an audience and how best to explore them. That’s how good articles ideas are born.

Writing isn’t an artsy identity or a short-lived hobby — it’s a compulsion to understand and be understood. That’s the sort of driven, enthusiastic person that can transform your businesses’ ideals and dreams into words.

Do you think a voracious reader makes a better content writer? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. 

To Read More About Managing Writers See Below:

5 Content Writing Tests to Find the Right Candidate
How to Identify Quality Content Without a Writing Background
5 Questions to Ask Your Content Writer Before You Hire Them