Riley G.
asked
Grace A. Johnson:
What is your favorite genre to read? Do you find yourself liking a different kind of genre when writing than when reading? Is there any book you've read that inspired you to write the books you have? (I am writing a YA novel loosely based off of Jane Eyre. I can't find many books that I would like that are like it, so naturally I had to write the one I would read!)
Grace A. Johnson
My favorite genre? Anything Christian and romance! Whether that's historical, mystery, fantasy, or suspense, as long as there's God and romance in it (and it's well-written, of course), I'll read and enjoy it!
From a surface level, no, I read what I write and vice versa - and that's mainly because I was inspired to become a writer and learned to write by reading! But when you look deeper, I do end up writing the type of stories very few others do - passionate but God-honoring romances full of adventure and suspense and LOTS of Holy Spirit!
There are two authors who right similarly (although I'd already written my debut novel, Held Captive, before I started reading their works): MaryLu Tyndall and Julie Lessman. Their novels have helped me cultivate my writing style and have encouraged me in many ways!
That sounds SO interesting! I don't read a lot of YA, but there are several Jane Eyre retellings out there...Mimi Matthews just wrote one called John Eyre. Katherine Reay writes Jane Austen retellings, and Pudge and Prejudice is a YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice. And Dearest Josephine might be kinda similar to what you're thinking too!
You can always draw from anything you read, whether you like it or it's in your preferred genre or not! You can learn what not to do, how to write certain styles, how to develop different kinds of plot points, tropes, and characters, and more! The broader your reading material, the broader your knowledge will be! :) Don't feel like your work has to be a carbon copy of other books in the market - being unique is always in style! ;)
From a surface level, no, I read what I write and vice versa - and that's mainly because I was inspired to become a writer and learned to write by reading! But when you look deeper, I do end up writing the type of stories very few others do - passionate but God-honoring romances full of adventure and suspense and LOTS of Holy Spirit!
There are two authors who right similarly (although I'd already written my debut novel, Held Captive, before I started reading their works): MaryLu Tyndall and Julie Lessman. Their novels have helped me cultivate my writing style and have encouraged me in many ways!
That sounds SO interesting! I don't read a lot of YA, but there are several Jane Eyre retellings out there...Mimi Matthews just wrote one called John Eyre. Katherine Reay writes Jane Austen retellings, and Pudge and Prejudice is a YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice. And Dearest Josephine might be kinda similar to what you're thinking too!
You can always draw from anything you read, whether you like it or it's in your preferred genre or not! You can learn what not to do, how to write certain styles, how to develop different kinds of plot points, tropes, and characters, and more! The broader your reading material, the broader your knowledge will be! :) Don't feel like your work has to be a carbon copy of other books in the market - being unique is always in style! ;)
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