At the writeoncon conference a few weeks ago, one of the presenters talked about reading outside your genre. I’m not sure if I’ve quoting correctly, but something like: “Read romance for character development. Read mystery for plotting. Read sci fi and fantasy for world building.” I love that.
And Gail Carson Levine, one of my writing heroes, said that she didn’t read much anymore except for research. She tends to analyze books too much, so she can’t get lost in the story. I can relate.
While there was a time when I read almost exclusively middle grade and YA fiction, I find I now alternate that with other books. I’d like to say it’s to learn from other genres, but mostly my mind just gets tired and on a weekday the last thing I want to do is read books that feel like work.
Here are the categories I read now:
Comfort reads: These are generally mysteries from the Golden Age (Dorothy Sayer, Patricia Wentworth) or old-fashioned romances (Austen, Georgette Heyer, or Grace Livingstone Hill). These are the books that don’t require a lot of thought, and I can get lost in. Weekday reads.
Just finished: Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
Hard books: These are either tough-to-read classics or books that tackle difficult topics. I tend to read more of these in the summer, and it generally takes me a long time to get through these books as my brain can only handle them in small bites. Also in this category are non-fiction books I’m reading for research. Weekend/summer reads.
Currently reading: The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass and God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu
Books in my genre (kid lit): I always have at least one from this group going and I alternate between these and my other books. I tend to read these when my mind is fresh, because not only do I analyze these as a mentor text, but I write reviews for my blog. Anytime reads.
Currently reading: Echo Island by Jared D. Wilson (YA Speculative Fiction) and Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane (MG Mystery)
What have you been reading lately? If you’re a writer, do you read in your genre or outside of it?
What is Insecure Writer's Support Group?
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
March 3 question - Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?
The awesome co-hosts for the March 3 posting of the IWSG are Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose!
I used to only read MG and YA too but have expanded into adult stories and different genres in MG and YA too. Gail Carson Levine was a presenter at WriteOnCon a few weeks ago. It was a highlight to get to go to her Zoom presentation live.
ReplyDeleteI saw that too! She's so amazing and wise and encouraging.
DeleteI do read outside my genre although I avoid the really hard books. But then, I read for escape.
ReplyDeleteI love reading for escape. It's where I'm at most days.
DeleteI do read outside my writing genre. I read romance a lot, although I don't write romance, as a rule. But for full disclosure, I've written 1 romance novella, a regency, and posted it on wattpad. Of all my stories on wattpad, it is the most successful. It has over 60K readers and thousands of likes. Maybe I should write more romances?
ReplyDeleteI do need to read more outside my writing genre (urban fantasy), but I just don't have the time. I really should read some romance just to help my character development.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that some genre's are better than others to teach various tricks of the trade. Mystery is great for the "ticking clock," though so is suspense.
ReplyDeleteI love reading a wide variety of genres. I posted for IWSG day today. My post includes a new book by a friend, a note about a free book next week, a tweet about a query contest (LGBTQ romance this round), and a quick message about April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
J Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
Ooh, I feel Gail's pain. For the last two years or so, I've stopped reading most books for pleasure. It's super hard to do, too. One - I'm constantly reading everything for research even if I don't need the information. (Because you know I might at some point down the road.) And two - I stopped being able to read books without editing. I was driving myself batty.
ReplyDeleteI read inside and outside of my genre- but mostly outside. I love graphic novels and spend a lot of time reading and appreciating them. I can see how reading without editing could be very hard.
ReplyDelete~Jess