What Batman Fighting Dracula Can Do For You as a Writer

April 2, 2024

Morgan Naranjo | Writing Center Tutor 

My biggest advice to improve yourself as a writer is to read. Read anything! (Even if it's the menu in the Caf or the latest viral confession on Fizz.) Some people will naturally lean towards reading more traditional books, while others may get their daily fix from posts on social media.  Both options are perfectly acceptable, contrary to what traditional academia may push.

My personal fix of reading growing up came from diving head-first into the DC Multiverse. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but reading about topics such as Batman fighting Dracula in Batman Vampire by Doug Moench really helped me to improve my vocabulary and storytelling skills which persist through my writing even to this day. Unconventional forms of media are just as important in developing your voice as a writer as more traditional forms of media are. This topic is one that I have found is generally ignored in academics. 

Even if you are not someone who is interested in creative writing and storytelling, formulating arguments for academic essays is a story in itself. Stories, both formal and informal, are told on a daily basis. You may tell your friend about a funny story that happened to you in class, or you may tell your professor why you think Batman helps to demonstrate mental health perceptions in modern media for an assignment. 

Stories are the language of the soul. They help us express who we are as people and what we are interested in. Think about how many stories set you apart from the person sitting beside you. The way in which someone writes, the way that they tell stories, speaks so much to the experiences that person has had. If every book was the same, then no one would bother to read. The same can be said for any type of popular media we consume as a society. The voice in which you write is so uniquely you.

No matter if you got your voice from reading Batman Vampire or The Art of War, all forms of media shape and mold the unique way in which you tell your stories. The media you choose to read and consume is nothing to be ashamed of because it reflects your interests, and therefore you.

So, the next time someone decides to make fun of you for being invested in and reading the latest internet drama instead of reading Aristotle in your free time, send them this blog post.