I was wondering if other author's did the same thing as I do or if I am totally nuts. See, when I am in the middle of writing a work, I make it a habit not to read anybody. I don't mean just reading things on line, I won't even read a newspaper article (even if I really wanted to).
This behavior started a few years ago. I noticed when I was writing a work that I started emulating Douglas Adams unintentionally (I was reading The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, which I highly recommend). I had to scrap three chapters of a novel because I was writing witty things when the book was dark and serious.
There is a backlash to this behavior. I miss out on reading some really good stories. I don't know if I am really a part of the community if all I do is post stories and watch for comments (and I check the blogs). Am I being a pariah?
Comments
:D
I check the site at least once a day, and I comment on blogs and forum posts and stories whenever I have something to say. As you can see, this extends to answering questions not meant for me. I've been here for 2 years and 39 weeks, and I have yet to write any stories.
I'd say your behavior is pretty much the opposite of mine.
ying to my yang?
So together we make the perfect site member?
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
One thing's certain.
If you're a "pariah", I'm a "hairap". = D
^^
Sorry for butting in but I love the comments above. ^w^
Also: I read voraciously regardless of whether I am writing or not... I find that if I keep up a constant stream of reading I have too much on my brain at once to be overcome by the mores and stylings of a particular author.
xx
Amy
Authoring habits
I personally read everything and anything I can, to glean new ideas, to see how others get over the same problems, to use as a yardstick, and to analyse what I find good and what I find indifferent.
Why did I follow this story only so far?
Why could I not put this one down?
Why did this turn me off?
I think it's a little like cooking - you will never be a good cook if you don't taste what you cook - and in this case, tasting means comparing with others. What have THEY done to make it into something I like.
I am a great believer in writing it and then letting it sit for a few days, a week or more so that your spiritual involvement with the story, that deep commitment (deep hack it was called I believe by Tuck) is dissipated, and I can then read the work as a reader rather than as a writer.
And I recommend ALL of Douglas Adam's books - they are really cleverly created and put together. Dirk Gently was a brilliant invention.
Regards
Joolz
Everybody has their own needs...
You're not alone, I can't remember any names off hand but I do recall at least a few "popular" authors who've said similar things regarding their own writing.
And then there's those who devour everything in sight, whether they're currently writing something or not.
Abigail Drew.
Agree
I'm a compulsive reader. If there are words in my vision I have just read them, whether I realized it or not.
Fortunately, it doesn't seem to make much difference to my writing, except -
I believe that any aspiring author has to read as much as possible, as widely as possible. The only way to improve your own power of language usage is to sample more of it.
Penny
I had tried
I had tried to stay away from articles that dealt with what I was writing about for fear it would corrupt my thoughts. The problem is that I love to read stories an I'm finding that it depends on what I'm writing about and how it would influence me. If I already have the character developed my reading others shouldn't have that effect I feared. In fact it would help me to stay clear of what I don't want.
In my last story I had read articles and found that I could use them as parts of the plot line as filler. Example is there really were not any support groups for husbands. I had used my own experience and after reading found out that a father had started a group out of necessity. This reflected in my story.
So it does depend on what you are looking at writing. I'm trying to turn myself off on reading about certain parts now. This will allow me to read and enjoy a break and if it creeps into the story I as the writer will make the judgement call if it should be there or delete it out.
Social media is important to stories I feel as this creates a more realistic read other than the he said, she said or having to make up plots that don't hold true.
Hope this helps.
Ibi
Most writers ...
... in any genre are also voracious readers. That includes award winners of things like the Orange or Booker prizes. The only way to improve (apart from writing itself) is to read as much and in as great a variety as possible.
As a child, I'd happily spend a whole day browsing an Encyclopaedia and read adult novels from the age of 11 or 12 (by 'adult' I mean stuff like Leslie Charteris, Dornford Yates or John Buchan ie thrillers, though I used to sneak reads at my Dad's Hank Jansens which were considered very racy).
There's a literary quiz on BBC Radio 4 in which two panels of well-known writers are asked questions about a wide range of fiction from Enid Blyton to Henry James. They all show that they are all familiar with just about every genre. I must admit none of them has, as yet, been asked to offer an opinion on any writer of TG fiction :)
For a retired engineer, I'm a reasonable writer and I think much of that stems from the reading I did as a child. Unfortunately, I'm a crap story teller so I limit myself to a bit of editing for writers I admire.
Robi
I read all the time
Hi Katie, if that works for you then just do it, however I need stimulus and other writers help me with that. When i have writer's block reading someone else helps tremendously. I'm a big fan of Jack Reacher (Lee Child) having read all seventeen of his books and Charlie Fox (Zoe Sharp) yep I've read all of her books too. There are several others that I can't put down once I start their novel, which cuts into my writing, but I write for fun so no harm done, and i get ideas from what I read. Assassin is an example of that, but like I say, if it messes you up then don't read anything else, but for me it helps, Arecee
Reading
I intentionally avoid reading others' stories when I'm working on a contest entry, but I'll read other non-TG stuff. And as the exact opposite to your example, I deliberately read a drugstore romance novel when I was working on one of my stories, so I'd get the tone right. But I'm not trying to develop a consistent voice as an author, so unconsciously emulating other writers is not a problem for me.
I could Kiss you Kate
Oops did I borrow that from some where that borrowed it from somewhere else. You are such a sensitive and wonderful person you overlook that you are a person like the rest of us with your own set of quirks, play to your strength, write the way that works for you.
I SOMETIMES am woken up in the middle of the night by one of my characters arguing with me over something I am told they did not, or would not say. I listen and at times argue back that such and such is necessary or a point needed to be made. Eventually we come to a reasonable compromise. when I inquired if any one else had this interesting but odd manner of creating there story several kindly souls informed me yes the were, and not to worry about it because it is what worked for me.
It is my duty to pass there sage advice onto you. Don't worry about the how so much as it is your way of working. If you find you are missing our writing relax read when you can and write when you need to. if something slips in that can be removed in editing or included as a joke with the rest of us.
Please Please Please don't be so hard on your self. You are a great writer, and from your trail of comments you are a fantastic person.
In some ways you remind me of the character Rarity from My Little Pony, very sensitive very sweet and kind. And we love you.
Big huggles
Bailey's miss behaving faery
Michele
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
Writing modes
It seems, anecdotally, that there are two types of writers: ones who write a moderate amount every day, more or less, and those who write lots of words per day for a few days or weeks at a time and then take a break from writing for a while after finishing a story. If you are the latter type, it might make sense for you to avoid reading fiction, or at least fiction in the same genre, while you're in the middle of a project. I don't see any benefit in avoiding nonfiction, though, but if you find it helps you, go for it.
As for me, I'm a "write every day" person, and it would not make sense for me to avoid reading fiction in general or any particular genre while I'm in the middle of a story, because I'm *always* in the middle of a story, unless I'm extremely sick, too sick to think clearly or sit in front of a computer.
I would not worry too much about being overly influenced by particular authors you're reading. If you find that's a problem, then just try making your reading more varied: don't read two books in a row by the same author, or in the same genre. I try to mix things up, reading a science fiction novel, then a mystery, then a real-world fantasy novel, then a historical novel, then a secondary-world fantasy, etc... and I'm always in the middle of a nonfiction book, generally reading nonfiction in the mornings and fiction in the evenings.
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