I have been told many times that if one wants to become a writer they need to read every second they can. I began small with just a few shelves and now I have two sides of a closet that look like this.

Books have taught me how to open my mind to millions of possibilities and that some of my weird creations can be amazing. It is all about how you tell a story, and I want to tell my stories good and bad to the world. I want to tell them with magic flowing through the words, with fire wound within the chapter, and with emotion dripping off of the pages.

I find inspiration in what I read. I find solace in knowing I am not the only one who has a mind that wanders and creates worlds of their own, characters of their own, and shares stories of their own. Books have saved me in many ways, and writing my own pieces has helped me share a little bit of myself with the world. (Not with many yet, but one day.) Books and writing have helped me find my voice, both have helped me get through things I never thought I would, and I don’t think I would be on this journey if I didn’t keep picking up books and picking up my pens. If not for reading I don’t think I would be able to write any of the pieces that I write.

The connection between reading and writing is so important to me. Without one I wouldn’t have realized my love for the other. Writing can only benefit from picking up a book and traveling outside of ones normal and landing somewhere no one ever expects to go. Take that adventure. Turn the pages. Fall in love, or complete hate, with characters and worlds. It will open up your world and all of the possibilities in it.

For me, there wouldn’t be a dream without books.

-Adrianna