Do you read Fiction?

[badgerjelly]

This may sound rather bizarre, but I do not read fiction anymore. I have not read a single novel for roughly a decade.

Do you think it is necessary to continually keep reading fiction if you want to write good fiction?

What do you think are the benefit of abstaining from reading fiction and the benefits of reading fiction?

Curious to see if I am the only fiction writer who does not read fiction anymore.

 

[defaux]

I absolutely do, but I am still studying and learning from what I read. Techniques, styles, concepts, themes. When I come across something that works really well, that I like, I try to figure out how I can make that work for me.

My writing would certainly not be where it is currently (and I will hopefully continue to grow and improve) without the benefit of reading some of the amazing authors that provide such influence.

That's me, though. I know other authors who don't read at all, and successfully produce their own work. I don't perceive how they feed their creativity, but maybe they have a greater natural supply than I.

Benefits of abstaining, I could only speculate, but I could understand that external influences may colour your style or ideas in ways that you don't want. Once an idea has been seen, it can be difficult to forget it.

So, while I find it necessary to consume quality fiction to grow myself, I don't believe that is requisite for everyone. If you find your creative process works without fresh input, then go for it. You assuredly aren't alone.

Curious, though, as it strikes me as an odd dichotomy. If you don't enjoy reading, what is it about writing that attracts you?

 

[badgerjelly]

I absolutely do, but I am still studying and learning from what I read. Techniques, styles, concepts, themes. When I come across something that works really well, that I like, I try to figure out how I can make that work for me.

My writing would certainly not be where it is currently (and I will hopefully continue to grow and improve) without the benefit of reading some of the amazing authors that provide such influence.

That's me, though. I know other authors who don't read at all, and successfully produce their own work. I don't perceive how they feed their creativity, but maybe they have a greater natural supply than I.

Benefits of abstaining, I could only speculate, but I could understand that external influences may colour your style or ideas in ways that you don't want. Once an idea has been seen, it can be difficult to forget it.

So, while I find it necessary to consume quality fiction to grow myself, I don't believe that is requisite for everyone. If you find your creative process works without fresh input, then go for it. You assuredly aren't alone.

Curious, though, as it strikes me as an odd dichotomy. If you don't enjoy reading, what is it about writing that attracts you?

I enjoying reading immensely, just not fiction.

Writing is thinking concretely. I mostly write non-fiction, and techincal stuff at that. The fiction is more or less playing with poetic styles or feeding my own personal mythos.

I have little idea why fiction suddenly stopped entertaining me. Maybe it is just that I see reading non-fiction as more beneficial to me as things stand. I guess my underlying thought is simply 'why read it when writing it is or far greater interest to me'.

 

[Stuart Dren]

Do you think it is necessary to continually keep reading fiction if you want to write good fiction?

Well, 'continually' is the interesting word there. Occasionally you'll hear a novice writer ask a question along, "Can I write about an elephant with three ears?" or even something simpler to do with very basic format or POV. The obvious reason they have that question is they simply haven't actively read a variety of fiction nor do they have an interest in doing so. Their personal library is so small that it creates trepidation; they've not build a subconscious index of the what, the how, the why, and instead look to rules (and now LLMs) for guidance. Often they were inspired by a different format, but writing just happens to be the most accessible. These are the ones most likely to use gen AI for their writing anyway, so this is all becoming moot. Eh, digression.

If you've already read a certain amount of fiction, meaning your internal guiding light is developed, I don't think it's necessary for you to keep reading it. I think something like history (some historians like to arrange it like a story—gosh it's in the word isn't it? digression no. 2) would still pack you full of ideas if you ever ran low.

What do you think are the benefit of abstaining from reading fiction and the benefits of reading fiction?

I can't imagine a benefit to abstaining. I think originality comes from reference to normality, which we're constantly updating. That is, tropes and what we do with them. To be extreme: if you erased my memory but left my subpar prose ability intact, I might think it's quite original that a farm boy is faced with the obligation of fulfilling his destiny and taking the fight to the dark lord, all executed in the most basic of forms. My potential's been limited.

I have little idea why fiction suddenly stopped entertaining me. Maybe it is just that I see reading non-fiction as more beneficial to me as things stand. I guess my underlying thought is simply 'why read it when writing it is or far greater interest to me'.

I have been, and still am, inspired by my joy of reading fiction. I've read enough of it that I'm Always a Critic™ though I even enjoy the missteps, the lacking potential of generic aspects, the occasional phoned-in dialogue. I'm happy to experience it again and again even if it's the same four chords in a different pop song.

That's me, though. If I read a great book, and I later see in the author bio "PesterJam lives with his five cats and four wives. He hasn't read a lick of fiction in over a decade." It's not going to change the fact that it is a great book.

 

[Rzero]

This question comes up a lot on these forums. The fact is, I've never heard a professional writer (published/successful/respected/whatever) say that they don't read. I've only seen that from aspiring writers on forums. Most pros read pretty constantly, from what I can tell.

Personally, I believe reading is the absolute best way to learn writing. I wasn't reading much when I started writing many years ago. I later discovered audiobooks and became addicted. I chew through 70-90 books a year now, and I've learned so much. I've never formally studied pacing and structure, but I understand story progression in my bones at this point.

When I want to know how to tackle a certain aspect of writing I've never dealt with before, I read books featuring that element and learn how to do it right. I also learn what not to do, because you can learn almost as much from bad examples as from good ones.

Do you have to read to write? I don't know. Maybe not, but wouldn't you listen to some music if you wanted to be a musician?

Throw some craft books into the mix as well. My favorite so far is On Writing by Stephen King. It helped me a great deal, as have several others. If you're not a big reader, try the audiobook thing. It changed my life. And don't rely on movies for your education, either. You can learn a lot about storytelling from movies, sure, but film is a visual medium; books are not. They work differently in so many ways.

 

[Louanne Learning]

I used to be an avid reader of fiction. Then, as I devoted myself to my own writing, I turned more to non-fiction writing. It seemed to better inform my writing. Give me ideas, and let me run with that.

 

[THUNDAIR]

I've also have been concentrating on my work, and I've only read a few books last year some fiction some not. I enjoyed Mary Olivers A poetry Handbook, but I'm stuck in Tom Clancy's, Against All Enemies. I have started a few this year and I can't get my head into them. I maybe going through a phase.

 

[JT Woody]

I never used to read non-fiction willingly. But now, I enjoy it. I've discovered the topics/themes that excite me and so it makes reading NF enjoyable (I new book hit our shelves today that I am excited to delve in to once I've finished the 2 books I've started: Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away by Coltan Scrivner)

but fiction? I love it! I love the escape of it. Unfortunately, I don't read as much as i used too, or as much as I want. and my list of books i want to read keeps growing and growing. But i DO read.
My only thing is... if I am writing a certain genre, I will stay away from reading that genre. Example: if I am writing a romantasy, I wont read any romantasy books until I'm done writing mine. But i'll read regular fantasy, and science fiction, and literary, and rom-com, etc.
My thing about that is, i dont want to contaminate my own thoughts and my own story with what I'm reading. I know some writers will immerse themselves in the genre they are writing to draw inspiration and learn its little nuances. that isnt me. I want my words to be my words, and I only feel like they're my words when I'm not thinking about the plot and characters of another writer's work.

I think the benefits of reading are:

• it broadens your vocabulary (I have at least 12 new vocab words from Victorian Psycho),
• you experience things you wouldn't normally experience in your daily life (learning about the harmful effects of traditions and family trauma from Palestinian-American author Etaf Rum in her book A Woman is No Man),
• you open your mind to concepts that wouldn't have occurred to you in your daily life (Disability Intimacy taught me to see the word "intimacy" in a new light-- not fiction, but its the last thing I read and its still fresh in my mind).
• Reading also inspires curiosity to seek out new things (after re-reading Juliet Marillier's Irish Folklore inspired Sevenwater series, I was inspired to read more Irish themed books and ended up falling in love with The Irish Country Doctor series.)

 

[Schism]

This may sound rather bizarre, but I do not read fiction anymore. I have not read a single novel for roughly a decade.

Do you think it is necessary to continually keep reading fiction if you want to write good fiction?

What do you think are the benefit of abstaining from reading fiction and the benefits of reading fiction?

Tbh, I think too many writers write in a vacuum, and specifically, a void where they don't read much because it's easier to troll internet forums.

As far as how often you should read fiction, I suppose that's like with anything. Some need more repetition of doing the same thing for learning/retention, others don't. If you've read at least one fiction book in your life, you're good.

 

[JT Woody]

If you've read at least one fiction book in your life, you're good.

i (politely) disagree. Books age fast, and sometimes not very well. Books, viewpoints, language... they are constantly evolving. reading 1 good book in someones life would only provide value during the time it was read. But after say 5 or 6 years? after that point, it is a nostalgia book. something of comfort from your past (I have a ton of those that I like to reread). Time to read something current

 

[Schism]

i (politely) disagree. Books age fast, and sometimes not very well. Books, viewpoints, language... they are constantly evolving. reading 1 good book in someones life would only provide value during the time it was read. But after say 5 or 6 years? after that point, it is a nostalgia book. something of comfort from your past (I have a ton of those that I like to reread). Time to read something current

As said in the other post, depends on one's ability to grasp writing mechanics. That aside, the outdated book point is not terribly relevant since some out there are timeless. Heck, all one (theoretically) needs to do is read the old man and the sea and go on a fishing trip, have a typewriter in the captain's cabin. All's well in the nautical world.

 

[Rzero]

If you've read at least one fiction book in your life, you're good.

I would also disagree. You learn different things from different authors and from different books written by the same author. It's like you're saying, "Listen to one Zeppelin song, and you'll know everything you need to know about music."

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Why on earth would a fiction writer read fiction written by other people? That might lead to hurtful comparisons and revelations regarding one's own competence.

 

[Naomasa298]

I've always struggled to reach these heights.

 

[Schism]

I would also disagree. You learn different things from different authors and from different books written by the same author. It's like you're saying, "Listen to one Zeppelin song, and you'll know everything you need to know about music."

Or you could be the guy who reads hundreds of books and still doesn't know how to write (hypothetical). Point is, those smarter tend to need less repetition of things to excel at any given task.

 

[Schism]

Why on earth would a fiction writer read fiction written by other people? That might lead to hurtful comparisons and revelations regarding one's own competence.

Hmm. Prickly. However, it's important to entertain all kinds of views, as weird as possible. That's what makes someone a good writer.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Hmm. Prickly. However, it's important to entertain all kinds of views, as weird as possible. That's what makes someone a good writer.

So perhaps you should entertain mine?

 

[Schism]

So perhaps you should entertain mine?

I already did...

 

[Homer Potvin]

Do you think it is necessary to continually keep reading fiction if you want to write good fiction?

Necessary? No more so than listening to music in order to compose it, tasting food in order to prepare it, or watching movies to be able to direct movies... but it sure does help!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Why is it all so transactional?

In any case, the stuff I like to read is better than the stuff I write, which I still like to read sometimes.

There's so many great books out there. Enjoy them!