Read to Write

Whenever people ask me what they should do to become a writer, my first answer is write as often as they can and write what they love.

My second answer is to read, read, read.

You can discover a lot about a writer by what they read. I love asking other writers this question: What are your favorite books? And if they start mentioning some of my favorites it's as if we are connected in some way.

When I went out for coffee with my editor, I thought it was so ironic when she asked me this very same question! Of course, I was so excited and nervous to be sitting with my editor (okay, so maybe I was kind of FREAKING out) that my first answer was something like, "I love that new fantasy book with the girl with those powers and it was so awesome."

* Yeah, that was the crazy in me because in my head I was really thinking: "OMG, I'm sitting in a coffee shop with MY editor! I've completely died and gone to writer's heaven."

** The book I was trying to talk to her about was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.


Why is it important to read?

1. Read within your genre.

I try to actively read books within the genre I write. Some people say, "No, I don't want to do that because it will influence my ideas." And I do get that.

My advice is to segregate your reading time and your writing time. Either separate your mornings for writing and evenings for reading. Or do what I like to do where I fast draft a book for a month, then I take a week and read everything I can get my hands on, then go back to revising.

2. By reading within your genre, you are keeping up with the market.

The market is ever changing. As a mom, I love to read my boys the classics such as The Boxcar Kids and Little House on the Prairie. But I also read to them newly released books such as the Percy Jackson series and The Fast and the Furriest. Both types are brilliant, but the books of fifty years ago are far different than the ones being printed today.

3. Study the craft of other authors.

It always takes me longer to read books than my husband. Why is that? Because I'm studying the book's plot structure, analyzing why certain characters ring true to me while others don't, looking at how sentences are arranged and even how long the chapters are.

As an author, I'm always finding ways to make my stories stronger. So when I expose myself to great storytelling, I push myself to become a better storyteller because I'm seeing it in action.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on reading and writing and how the two are connected.

Christina Farley's debut YA, GILDED, releases spring 2014 by Skyscape/ Amazon Children's Publishing. She is represented by Jeff Ourvan of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency, LLC. She blogs and vlogs about writing and traveling, and is often found procrastinating on Twitter

Comic: Personal Muse

From the Inkygirl archives.

As I posted this comic, I realized that this actually ties in with Andrea's post last Friday. I know some people will disagree, but I think that everything we read influences us as writers. Maybe not directly (e.g. reading a Stephen King novel isn't necessarily going to make me write like Stephen King), but it does go into the melting pot that is my creative muse.

I read a wide range of books, from popcorn-type beach reads to nonfiction and literary, but I tend to mostly read books written for young people. Not just because that's what I write but (as Andrea says) because I enjoy them. When I'm writing a novel, though, I try not to read too many books by the same author in a row because I'm worried that that author's style will influence my own a little too much.

Keeping readers' attention

Unlike my husband, who reads every night, I tend to read in spurts. I’ll read like crazy and then go months without a book. (In my defense, I find it hard to read when I’m elbows deep in my own writing project.) I have a good-sized “To Read” pile. And last a couple of weeks ago, I picked up the next paperback in line. 

I tried. Really, I did. But I’m about half way through and have decided to stop reading. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve given up on a book midway. I like to finish what I start but the older I get, the less patience I have for books that aren’t keeping my attention. 

Here are some of the reasons I’ll stop reading a book:

Not relating to the MC (This was the reason this time around.)

Too challenging (I like to be challenged but I hate needing a dictionary to get through a book!)

I don’t really care about the MC’s problem (It seems lame or too far-fetched.)

Plot is plodding along (I find myself skimming to “get to the good parts.”) 

The writing is showing - if I’m thinking “Man, that needed some more editing” then I’m not caught up in the actual story. 

I think all of this is useful information as I settle down to write my own stories. I don’t always get it right, but if I’m writing to please the READER inside myself then I can’t go wrong. 

What about you? What makes you give up on a book? 

~Carmella 

Antsy

I can always tell when it’s time for me to get a haircut - I start wearing headbands. And I can always tell when it’s time to start my next project or start reading a new book because I feel antsy. The problem is, my brain spins like a roulette wheel and it never seems to land on any particular space. 

I have a stack of To Read books and I chose each one because it appealed to me for a different reason. What am I in the mood for? I don’t know. Which book might help inspire me to write my next book? I don’t know.

I have several ideas and characters running around my brain. Which story do I know enough about to start writing? Which character is calling me the loudest? Which one is most marketable? 

I don’t know.

All I know is that, most of the time, it’s not the book or idea that’s important. What’s important is that you only keep moving. Pick something - anything - and see how it goes. A step in any direction is still better than standing still. 

So, today I will open my journal, write a title and see where it takes me. I just have to do one thing first - set up an appointment to get my hair cut! 

~Carmella