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Are you able to read other books while writing your own?
Hi Anthony, I am glad you have raised this point as I find myself in a similar predicament - On the one hand wanting to help other authors by agreeing to review their books in exchange for reviewing my recently published short story collection Impromptu Scribe but on the other hand finding that sometimes this worthy exercise drags me away from the current task in hand of completing my unfinished manuscript on the drawing board.
At least with short stories, one can dip in and out of them, with arguably less emotional involvement than with a novel !
Hope you manage to resolve this little conundrum in 2015. Let me know the secret if you do :-)
Best wishes, Alex
I have only written one novel, and that was more than three years ago. It took me fourteen months to produce what I felt was a completed, polished manuscript. During that time period, I read nothing, focusing my attention exclusively upon transferring my thoughts onto paper.While working with and learning from the copy editor, conceptual editor, and layout design artist, assigned to help convert the manuscript into a commerically viable book, I was able to read other books, but only during the brief respites, waiting for additional comments and suggestions from the editors. During that time, I also began to realize that the manuscript, of which I had been so proud, was neither complete nor polished.
I will always be an avid reader. Nothing will ever change that. I also write one book after another. I can't go to sleep cold turkey. I have to have something to read. I now read mostly other indie authors and review the ones that I can give at least a four star to.
I'm the opposite I think it's essential to read all the time. I believe it helps improve your writing and the more you read the better writer you become. Also I write constantly so if I didn't read while writing I would never read. I would not read a book about the subject I'm writing at the time. I'm currently writing a vampire series. I read vampire books before I started. Again IMHO I think it's essential to see what the market wants and to get a feel for the genre as it stands and changes. Now I'm writing however I will read something different as I do not want to get stuck with someone else's ideas. At the moment I'm reading Tim Miller extreme horror a very different genre.
I'm with Peggy - impossible to avoid some reading while writing. I'm experimenting with reading out of genre though, which I think will help broaden my own writing skills. For example, I write SF, but SF characters fall in love too, so reading a romance novel is a useful learning experience.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I've read of other authors and what they're reading, and how much they're reading, and feel myself pathetic. I read very little during the writing of my first book and it (the first draft) flowed without much trouble. But I've been trying to keep up with some of the popular books during the writing of my second, and it's been so much more difficult! I purposely have not read anything in the same genre or with the same elements for the same reason as you - I don't want to be influenced in the slightest. Or be discouraged because someone else has written something too close to what I had envisioned for my own story.
I think, maybe, I need to stop reading so I can finish this book!
Peggy wrote: "I will always be an avid reader. Nothing will ever change that. I also write one book after another. I can't go to sleep cold turkey. I have to have something to read. I now read mostly other indie..."Hi Peggy, I like the sound of your southern belle Mama's advice. She was obviously a wise woman :-) Would you perhaps be interested in reviewing my short story collection Impromptu Scribe ? Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJRFYHE I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks and best wishes, Alex
Yes. And given I'm writing constantly, that's a very good thing.
I'm a hopelessly disorganised writer, with several projects on the go at any one time (though just before Christmas I completed several short stories and a novel translation all at once, so all my current work is in very early stages). As such, if I couldn't read while writing my own books, I'd simply never be able to read. And that wouldn't do.Having said that, I do need to make reading more of a priority this year. For the past four years I read on the train to work, but since taking my new job, a comfortable hour on the train has been replaced with a brisk 35 minute walk to the office from my flat. Which is lovely, but it has removed my prime reading time!
I have no problem with reading other authors' work while writing my own, and since I need some reading time before I can settle for sleep, that's just as well, or I'd never get any writing done. Either that, or I'd get plenty of writing done, but never get any reading done and therefore struggle even more than I already do with sleeping. Everything a writer hears, reads, and experiences will have some sort of influence on their writing; it's impossible to avoid. So, from my point of view, making sure not to read while writing would only mean I'd have more trouble sleeping than I already do, or wouldn't get any writing time in (which might end up giving the same result, since sleeping with a mind full of ideas isn't very easy).Besides, you need to at least have some idea of what's out there in the genre you're writing in, and the kinds of things readers love, and what's been done so many times it's become stale, etc. Obviously you want to make sure you aren't allowing another author's ideas to influence your writing too much, but you also need to read a decent amount in order to improve your own writing, and get a feel for what may potentially attract readers.
I wouldn't say I'm completely up to date with what's new on the market, but I get a lot of both reading and writing done as a rule; at least a little of each every day.
While writing my historical novel about the beginning of the American Revolution I reread several of Winston Graham's novels about Cornwall set in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. I also read all of Patrick O'Brian's seafaring novels. I admire Graham's qualities as a writer and O'Brian's use of the spoken language. I needed to get a feel of that language from both authors to lend authenticity to the dialogue of British characters in my novel. I also read A. B. Guthrie, Jr.'s first two novels because I admired his narrative expression. A fledgling writer needs examples to hone his own skills of expression. This is not plagiarism. It is educating oneself. Another example: When you have discovered a particular difficulty in your writing (How do you show pauses in conversations?), look to discover how authors you admire handle the difficulty.I also read novels while writing as a recreational break. It is important to get away briefly from the fatigue and frustration of creating fiction.
I find it very difficult to read other fiction while in process, though non-fiction is no problem. Having said that, I will sometimes force myself to do so - once I have the first version manuscript written.
I can write for only so long before my creativity starts to fade. While I'm writing a novel, I can take a break by reading something else, let mhy imagination recharge, and then come back to what I was writing. But when I go to the editing stage, I read only my own work.
I used to not be able to. But I am now writing continually, so if I didn't read I would never do so. And then there is the whole separate issue about whether one is reading for the work, or for leisure.
I agree with Caroline that reading improves your writing. If I was a chef, would I stop eating other's dishes? If I was an artist, would I no longer look at anyone else's art? I'm a reader who writes and a writer who reads. ;)
When I read, I'm not only enjoying a story, but learning what works and what doesn't, and (hopefully) employing those learnings in my own writing. Reading in the genre I write in also keeps me up on current trends and audiences, though I do refrain from reading similar works to my topic while writing so as not to be influenced story-wise.
I'm going to say yes? As long as it doesn't cut into or take away from your writing then by all means read on!
Justin wrote: "I'm going to say yes? As long as it doesn't cut into or take away from your writing then by all means read on!"I not only think it's possible, I thinks it's important to continue reading. Set aside a time to read and another time to write. I learned this from Steven King's "On Writing."
I'm only just working on my first novel but I have published a poetry book. That said I haven't always read while writing but then I came to realize that it really is important to continue to read. I agree with others that reading helps you get a taste for what you think does and doesn't work. I'm a fan of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series and I've read an installment that I really enjoyed but didn't like how it got started. Details like that are things I try to keep in mind while I write my own book. Even books that I haven't been a big fan of have helped me by teaching me what I don't like. That almost makes it easier for me to pick out when I do it (Oh man that's what so and so did in their novel, I need to not do that!).With poetry as well reading helped to connect me with other members of the craft; it helps me to find authors I admire and look up to. Reading other poetry books also gave me some more insight into book organization, a detail that I overlooked when I first started. I think I changed the order of my poems half a dozen times at least!
And too like others have said, reading is a nice getaway from writing. I have so many reasons I continue to read while I write now that I think about it! I like to know what people have already done so that I'm not blindly going into the field so-to-speak blind. Must I add the necessity of reading for research? Oh gosh there's plenty of that. Everything in life is a fine balance and reading and writing are no exception. ;)
I believe you need to read to write well, and that doesn't stop if you're in the middle of writing a book. I read for pleasure as well as for my writing profession. It's a nice break from writing and is my main source of entertainment. However, I still love to write.
Jim wrote: "I have only written one novel, and that was more than three years ago. It took me fourteen months to produce what I felt was a completed, polished manuscript. During that time period, I read nothin..."Hey Jim,
I was interested in your comments but they left me wondering how it all turned out. I see you have 18 fans so they must have liked the finished work. But I hear you, there are always ways to improve and it is good to get an independent viewpoint. It's an observation every would be author needs to consider..
W.E. wrote:"I not only think it's possible, I thinks it's important to continue r..."I agree!
I am always continuing to read whilst trying to write. I mostly read during my work commuting whereas writing is a weekend or evening pursuit
I set aside a daily period for writing, putting all my creative effort and concentration into an ongoing project for a few allotted morning hours. Afterward, I find it not too difficult to enter into a reader mindset, ignore my ink and quill, and enjoy the stimulation of someone else’s literary creation.
I've been an avid reader all my life and often find myself reading for pleasure while in the process of writing. But if I get wholly immersed in what I'm writing, everything (and I mean everything!) tends to get pushed aside. Sometimes I even forget to eat! I believe reading helps keep our own creative sparks alive so we should kindle those sparks whenever possible.
I can tell what type of day it is going to be based on my craving either to write, or to read. I normally don't do both at the same time. The scary days, are the days when I don't have any desire to do either. I tend to feel a bit lost when that happens.My preference is to write, even if it is only something silly or trivial for myself. I enjoy reading, as was a voracious reader at one time. I know find that writing produces a much more pleasurable feeling throughout me both mentally and physically.
D. D.
Stuart wrote: "Jim wrote: "I have only written one novel, and that was more than three years ago. It took me fourteen months to produce what I felt was a completed, polished manuscript. During that time period, I..."Stuart,
Writing a novel was just one of several items included in a bucket list that my late wife insisted I create upon retiring in 2001. Sitting around doing nothing was not an acceptable option, as far as she was concerned.
Regarding your inquiry as to how the novel has been received, I offer the following.
As of Sept. 30, 2014, 917 units have been sold.
460 - paperback (50.2%)
403 - e-book (Kindle/Nook/Tablet) (43.9%)
33 - audio book* on CD (9 discs) (3.6%)
21 - audio download* (2.3%)
* The audio book is an abridgement (85,000 words) of the print format (111,000 words). It provides 8 hours listening time - narrated by Stephen Rozell.
The novel has not proven to be a commercial success; at least so far. However, it is definitely not due to a lack of the on-going efforts of the marketing rep. and publicist, assigned to promote it. A more likely reason would be that it just may not have whatever it takes to become a best-seller. Fortunately, I am not the least dependent upon royalties from the book to sustain my lifestyle.
I hope this is the type of information you wished to know. Thank you for your interest. It is very much appreciated.
Jim
Justin wrote: "I'm going to say yes? As long as it doesn't cut into or take away from your writing then by all means read on!"I was thinking about the same Justin! Lol!
Anthony wrote: "For one thing, the risk of being influenced, even unconsciously, by other writers’ ideas and imagery is acute. Plagiarism is a fear that stalks all of us."I don't feel that way. I rarely use other people's imagery and/or ideas, I have quite a fountain of ideas myself.
I rarely watch television anymore (although I watch certain tv series on my laptop, like Spooks and Game of Thrones), but I love movies. So I often write during the day when the kids are at school, read when the kids are home, and watch movies or visit internet boards when the kids have gone to bed.
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "Anthony wrote: "For one thing, the risk of being influenced, even unconsciously, by other writers’ ideas and imagery is acute. Plagiarism is a fear that stalks all of us."I don't feel that way. I..."
I agree. Other than reading and writing, I watch movies. I also like to listen to music while I'm reading or editing.
Ages ago I sometimes found myself imitating a recently-read author, but these days it's not a problem. I think I've found my own voice by now. At least, I sure hope I have. ;-)
Thanks to everyone for such an interesting and varied number of responses to my question. It goes to show that there is no right or wrong of it in this creative writing business, but only what works best for each individual author. I should say that while writing a book I do read newspapers, magazines, light works and of course the vast amount of research material needed for the current project (and all the fascinating byways it takes me down). And for relief after a day spent wrestling with words, I like nothing better than a medium-hard soduko puzzle.
But all my serious "other" reading (so essential for those many excellent reasons given in the responses) can only be done in that long pause of half a year or more between one novel and the next.
I do envy those of you who are able to find the resources to keep on writing without a break between books. But I'm at the later end of my career, and find that the imaginative energies required for each new book are so exhausting – that I have to dig deeper into myself with each new project – that a break of some months is essential to replenish and refresh the creative spirit.
Unconscious plagiarism is a real danger, I fear. But it may be a topic better kept for another discussion .
Anthony wrote: "Thanks to everyone for such an interesting and varied number of responses to my question..."I didn't see it until just now, so here's my two bits.
I read and read a lot, even while writing. Well, not at the EXACT same time, but I write a bit, read a bit, write a bit. I don't worry too much about plagiarizing as the kind of stuff I write is not the stuff I read. I'm working on a few humor projects* right now that, frankly, I've never really even seen a book quite like these so there's slim danger in outright copying what someone else has done. Do I see the influence of other writers in my work? Oh, yes. I would think we all do. None of us is completely original.
*And, yes, I'm one of THOSE who cannot just do one project at a time. I usually have at least six things going at once.
it's hard for me to read the works of others as sometimes i start editing stuff. (mainly when reading indie works. occasionally i find badly edited trad pub works.... you know who they are). but if the story engages me, i can shut up the editor and have fun. usually i read books to give myself a break from work and escape my dull life. i dont worry about seepage as i write vastly pulpy dark weirdo stuff and i hadnt met anyone with a similar style. i have my own crapola in my head keeping me up at night, no need to add other folks stuff lolz
Lenita wrote: "I also like to listen to music while I'm reading or editing.."I also listen to music while I write. Mostly Jazz or instrumental music, but I have whole playlists on my iPad. Music also helps me to isolate myself when I'm writing on-the-go, since people are less likely to engage me in conversation if I have my headphones on.
Anthony wrote: "Unconscious plagiarism is a real danger, I fear. But it may be a topic better kept for another discussion."I don't think it's really a danger once you've found your voice. And I think there is a distinction between plagiarism and mimicking someone's style. There are even contests for 'writing like Hemingway', but even the best Hemingway mimic wouldn't be plagiarising, unless they would copy Hemingway and attaching their own names to the prose.
I found that plagiarising is rarely 'unconscious', it requires the act of stealing and subverting other people's work, which is done intentionally.
I did a lot of reading while I wrote my different books. Sometimes it was necessary (through school) and other times it was just for pleasure. I am sure different books sparked ideas as I wrote even if I did not read them at the same time I was writing.In recent years I really slowed down on the amount of reading I did. I had other things to do and see. :) I have probably read more books this year than I have in the 5 previous years. Partially because I had plenty of time while my wrist was healing, partially because I had trouble finding good books/authors I wanted to read until this year.
I guess I will always be a reader, just how much I read seems to fluctuate now.
Anthony wrote: "For one thing, the risk of being influenced, even unconsciously, by other writers’ ideas and imagery is acute. Plagiarism is a fear that stalks all of us...."I find that interesting, but I'm not sure influence is the same as plagiarism. In order to plagiarize, don't you have to quote word for word without attribution?
The kind of influence or interference I fear most from reading is at the voice level. I have a really hard time holding on to the voices of my narrator and characters through the ups and downs of daily life anyway, and another author with a strong voice can be disruptive. So are books which force me to pull all-nighters. I might as well have gone night-clubbing, considering the state those leave me in. I read while I'm writing anyway. It's a habit, and besides, you can't always tell what you're getting when you pick it up.
I don't usually have this problem. Most of my books are vastly different from what I read that unconsciously being influenced is rarely a fear for me. I enjoy urban fantasies like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Anita Blake, but most of my writing are humorous stories that combine many different elements without regards to the fourth wall. I won't say certain things don't inspire me to write, but I've never had issues reading and writing at the same time.
Martyn V. (aka Baron Sang-Froid) wrote: "Lenita wrote: "I also like to listen to music while I'm reading or editing.."I also listen to music while I write. Mostly Jazz or instrumental music, but I have whole playlists on my iPad. Music ..."
I like classical or instrumental folk music.
Anne wrote: " In order to plagiarize, don't you have to quote word for word without attribution?"Sort of, but sometimes just taking an idea and claiming it as your own can be plagiarism. A work close to someone else's, even with different character names and such could be considered plagiarized. Generally if something one is writing reminds one too much of something one has read, it might be a good idea to stop and rework it into more of one's own story.
Re. plagiarism -- this is defined as either quoting a part of another's work word for word, or using an identical plot and characters to someone else's work without any substantial changes. If, on the other hand, you've added new plot elements or made other changes, or synthesized a new plot from several different sources (without copying any of them word for word), then you're OK. (Like me, for example -- I took the main plot for my book from one of Marshak's poems, but I've also added several subplots of my own, so that's fine.)
As for reading while writing -- sure I can, as long as it's in the same genre and/or has the same subject as the book I'm writing.
It seems to me to be a bad sign if you feel you ought not read other books while writing your own. If you have found your own voice and your own tale to tell then the works of others should not influence you too much, if at all. The mind of a writer needs to be seeded with words. It took me twenty six years to write my book, anyway, so I could not very well stop reading books by others for that long. I can only write the way I write and not like the works of my favourite authors, even if I tried.
Thanks again for more insightful and varied responses to the topic. I fully agree with those who mentioned the way in which wide reading improves our understanding of literary style, vocabulary, sentence construction, ideas, expression, the architecture of a book, our human sympathies and so on. It's the reason we all read (and write). But for me, the risk of adopting - even quite unconsciously - the style and voice of another author when I'm writing a book of my own, is a real one. It may not be plagiarism in the strict legal meaning of the word, but it's not so different in an ethical sense. Where does the border lie between influence and imitation?
Let me give you an example. In this rest time between writing projects I've just finished reading Patrick O O'Brian's "Master & Commander", volume one of his great seafaring novels. In it he speaks of 'days when the perfection of dawn was so great, the emptiness so entire, that men were almost afraid to speak.' I think you'd agree it is a very beautiful sentence. The language is majestic and the human observation profound.
He's writing of the sea of course, yet it's easy to see how one could apply the same or very similar sentiment to any terrestrial (or extra-terrestrial) landscape. The sentence will naturally go into that personal archive of accumulated literary treasure from which I, like every author, take inspiration and education. But if I'm wanting to write with my own voice and not somebody else's, I find it far better to do my 'treasure hunting' between books and not in the middle of one.
This is just another example of how there's no one right way to do things, so all you can do is what's right for you.
Suzy wrote: "Hi All!I must confess, I was an avid reader (2-3 books per week). However, since starting writing I've found that my head is so buzzing with ideas for characters/storyline etc. that I couldn't ev..."
Hey! Well that's just about the cutest thing I've read on Goodreads in a couple years. Said perfectly!
Ha-ha!
We wanted to write a book and get published, so now we pay the price of more hard work. Thanks for the smiles this AM.
p.s. I'm going to finish Grisham's Sycamore Row before I start again.
Good question here.Since English is my second language, I need to read all the time to keep it on the good level. I'm Russian, but I can't remember the last time I read something in Russian. I'm always in need of new words and phrases, and I often re-read my favorite books and find more and more in them.
I wouldn't say that it influences my writing in any way - I have my own world and plot, and before a write another chapter, I need to feel it, to get into the story inside my head, to see how it develops on its own. My characters have a life of their own and there's nothing that could connect them with the books I read. I may read a romance novel (for example, my favorite "One day") - and then stop and write about brutal sword fight scenes for hours. And I'm totally alright with it ))
I schedule my time to include reading everyday and writing everyday. I have mutiple writing projects on the go and a pile of unread books waiting for me. For the most part, there is no co-relationship between the two and I never worry about unconsciously writing what I read. My writing comes from my imagination, has been well plotted and I consider it my business - my work. I concentrate when I'm writing and give it 110% of my thoughts and effort.
Reading is my relaxation - curling up on the sofa with hot tea and a great book.
I have my own rules. I usually listen to music while working and relaxing. I only read print books. I never watch TV. I consider maintaining an online presence part of my work - although it is quite relaxing too.
We all read in order to be able to write – just as those of us who are impelled to write, do so in order to be read. There's no right or wrong of it, I think, but the approach that best suits us as individual authors and readers.
Sincere thanks to everyone who shared their insights and opinions on what has been a very interesting topic.
http://www.anthonyhillbooks.com
Goodreads Authors/Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Impromptu Scribe (other topics)Impromptu Scribe (other topics)
Captain Cook's Apprentice (other topics)
Master & Commander (other topics)
Editing is different. It’s generally easy enough to cut, revise and rework a manuscript when reading somebody else’s story, for it’s a rather mechanical exercise. Patrick White called it the ‘oxy-welding’ aspect of the profession.
But original composition for me must be an essentially solitary and undistracted business. All those books that cross the literary horizon have to be left unopened on the bookshelf until I’ve written ‘The End’ on the present work.
For one thing, the risk of being influenced, even unconsciously, by other writers’ ideas and imagery is acute. Plagiarism is a fear that stalks all of us.
For another, a brilliant author can completely inhibit your own creative impulse, especially if writing on a similar theme. When I was composing Captain Cook's Apprentice, about the celebrated Endeavour voyage, I dared not read any of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin seafaring books until I’d finished. Wisely as it turned out. I’d have been too self-conscious to attempt my own.
Then again with a splendid writer like O’Brian – or Dickens, White, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and those dozens of others on the bookshelf – I can become so engrossed in their stories that the impetus for writing my own can go out the window.
So they have to wait, I’m afraid, until the present composition is finished. And having recently completed the first draft of my current project, I have a very Happy New Year’s pile awaiting me.
First up, Master and Commander, volume one of the O’Brian series … and the other 19 books are in the offing behind it.
But I wonder if this reticence is just me…? Or are other authors living the guilty secret that we’re not as well read with the latest literary success as we’d like to be … or as readers might expect us to be?