a friend of mine is the middle of writing her first novel - i didn't know about that and offered her the first anthology our writers' group had published two years ago.
since this friend of mine has just joined our group i wanted to give her some perspective about it.
i think it was a neat idea, hm?
she politely refused, saying that she was writing at the moment and didn't want any influence on her style.
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she may be right - even if the writer has his/her own strong way of writing, there is still an unwanted influence.
when i was writing Copper Moon, i read nothing.
right now i don't particularly write anything, so i read a lot. books, all style, articles, scientific or everyday.
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how about you?
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is 'not reading' while being heavily engaged in writing is the sign of uncertainty? a sign of weakness? or is it just the lack of time?
can a certain reading have a positive influence on your writing?
say one of your characters is a vain young lady and you read something about the hype around the opening of a new shopping center. this might just be the necessary bit of information to make your young lady more alive. hm?
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what are your experiences?
9 comments:
Personally, I think it's dangerous to not read while writing. I read constantly, although somewhat less when writing just because of time constraints. But it seems to me that once your style is established you don't really have to worry about unconscious influence.
I would say reading during writing is just a lack of time.
"can a certain reading have a positive influence on your writing?"
Of course!
Paul
thank you Charles.
this friend of mine, she may not have enough confidence, you seem to suggest, with which i can not disagree.
as for my writing it is just about to take a solid style. back in time, like 4-5 years ago, my style of writing was a-changing, due to my mood.
thank you, Paul.
time is a great imperative, isn't it?
and on the positive influence thing - we sure can agree :)
I read so many different styles I'm not sure if it would influence my voice. The reason I read (even during writing) is to inspire me and keep my imagination primed.
I realize some of the books I read are far beyond my current writing capabilities, but instead of losing confidence, I strive to achieve those levels.
that's what i call a positive attitude, Sandra.
readings can serve as inspirations, i guess it's the constant exposition to certain, well-defined style that might have unwanted influence on one's writing. say, you are writing a romantic stroy about werevolves in the 18th century, but beta-read a really dry scifi.
the scifi's dry langueage might or might not influence your writing. you might become even more romantic, to balance the influence within your head. :)
anyway, great thanks to you for your contribution to my writing blog.
Time, yes, or rather lack of it, that's the big problem for me. Otherwise, I really have to read every day. Books can be setting the mood for what I write or provide a counterpoint.
Vesper, do you mean that the books you read do influence your writing AND that you like that influence.
it seems that for you (or for a person like you), picking the RIGHT read is of crucial importance.
They do influence me in a way, although my style always comes out as mine in the end. I think the consistency shows that it's really mine. It's the same with music. When I write a certain story I can listen only to a certain type of music, that somehow relates to that story, or to that scene, and to nothing else.
picking the right music, too :)
i can relate to that :)
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