Thursday, September 22, 2011

Comic: Personal Muse

Unhappy 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.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you! I've even heard of writers who refuse to read anything while writing a first draft of a novel because they don't want it to influence their voice. Love the comic~

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  2. That's a good point about reading several books by the same author. On the other hand, I do like to read MG novels while I'm working on my own MG novel, because it helps me get the right level or feel for the story.

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