Words by Jenni Curry, ACTWC Blogger in Residence

Surely, this is a question which has been around as long as the printing press. When a writer can’t think what to write, should they consume previously published words? Or restrict themselves so the creative process isn’t tainted by the works and thoughts of others?

The trouble is that reading and writing are linked. One cannot exist without the other. If there were no readers, there would be no writers and vice-versa. It is also highly unlikely that there has ever been a successful, published author who refused to read at all. Writers are, first and foremost, readers.

This bond between reading and writing is strengthened by the fact that, as children, we are taught the two together, with reading coming only shortly before writing. Throughout our schooling years, the two remain best-friends; one never being seen without the other. Most English…