Are you a reader or writer?

[Michael]

I'm probably an anomaly. I'm only a writer. I would love to also be a reader, but I'm so dyslexic it takes me months to read a book. That means I have to spend the majority of my book time working on my own projects. I truly wish I could spend more time reading other authors. I love so many great fantasy authors, but there simply isn't enough time. Luckily, I live in the day and age of audio books.

[ShyNight]

Simply put, I read to become a better writer.

[Rich]

I am both, partly because I love the genre and partly because one of the rules in writing is to read the type of books you want to write. Reading fantasy keeps the writing side informed as to what is going on among others writers.

[A.L.]

Both, although my reading tastes are quite varied.

[Daniel]

writer almost entirely. I read things I cannot write :)

[Em Lost In Books]

Reader :D

[Idan]

I don't think you can be a good writer without reading lots of book..

[Thomas]

Question for writers: Did your reading experience change when you began writing?

I know mine sure did. For me, the words on the page have always shaped pictures and scenes in my head. It was not until I began to write and really study the mechanics of writing that I could see a semblance of the actual structure of a novel's construction.

Now when I read I notice the stumbles, the percieved faults in that structure that prevent the story from engaging me. Quite often this is bad filtering, POV shifting, or omniscient exposition. These things never bothered me before (and they still don't if they are treated well and done to a minimum).

Anyhow, I just wanted to compare notes with other writers. Also if you are a reader only, have you always noticed these or similar issues in the books you read?

[Tasha]

I've gotten much easier on authors now that I know how hard it is to write. I rant les about bad writing from new authors. Or typos in books, I accept that as normal now that I understand the industry better.

My patience with a multiple best selling author has gone down though if they overuse certain tropes instead of coming up with better ways to move stories along. Things like falling back on a woman being raped either to make her strong or to give the man in her life a reason to on a rampage is really low. Their are so many more creative ways to accomplish those things.

I have a list if 10-15 tropes that I've asked my husband and publisher to make sure I never use as they are overused and boring at this point in my genre.

[Jeremy]

I am a reader and writer of fantasy...almost exclusively. I have read the odd Star Wars novel but I am picky with those. I mostly read novels set in the Forgotten Realms setting and despite being a fan of sci-fi...I can only write fantasy. Fantasy stories just come to me very easily with little effort.

[Parvathi]

Both :) I love the genre, it really feeds my imagination. Writing it is an amazing experience, and reading fantasy is...well, fun.

I'm a professional reviewer as well, and I do read review copies far more critically than I would read for fun. Reviewing has also taught me that a book may be good, really good, even if it didn't appeal to me personally. I'm grateful for that.

[T.C.]

Tasha wrote: "My patience with a multiple best selling author has gone down though if they overuse certain tropes instead of coming up with better ways to move stories along. "

I have to say that, in the same way, I get put off by re-creations of Middle Earth, using the same basic creatures in the same basic way. I never liked elves to start off with, but I tend to try to avoid anything with mystical elves and mining dwarves! Fantasy can do as much as an imagination can dream up, so why stick to those old stereotypes?

I've only just started on the writing path, so I guess I'm more of a reader, and still learning on the writing front. Having said that, I think I've always been a fairly critical reader, and prone to thinking what I would do if it were me writing the story, if you see what I mean. I notice things like typos, but only because I get a little chuckle out of it - I don't see the odd little mistake like that as a major issue at all, as long as it isn't every page, because I can see how easy it is for it to happen (and more so since I started writing). A lack of grasp of language and grammar annoys me far more, as does an issue that seems to be increasingly common - trying to write to create a 'franchise', written in a style that is obviously all ready to be made into a movie, rather than concentrating on writing an actual book with interesting and/or beautiful language in it.

I don't think anything much has changed on that since I started writing, but since I've only just started writing, only time will tell!

[P.M.F.]

Michael Reed wrote: "I'm probably an anomaly. I'm only a writer. I would love to also be a reader, but I'm so dyslexic it takes me months to read a book. That means I have to spend the majority of my book time working ..." Michael, have you tried audio books? Storytelling was originally an oral tradition!

[P.M.F.]

I'm both reader and writer, in both cases of fantasy novels and poetry across a lot of genres. I write a poetry blog as well, which keeps me reading lots and lots of poetry. It's a good incentive. Gotta read to write. ;->

[Michelle]

I'm a reader. I write a little, but mostly for myself, nothing I would ever have the expectation of being published; at the moment, I haven't written anything in months, whereas I've finished reading 6 novels in about the last 10 days.

[P.M.F.]

I'm a fantasy writer who loves to read fantasy, and fiction with a fantasy feel (Horatio Hornblower has no fantastic element, but has that feel). I have a bent towards older fantasy -- Zelazny, Norton, Dunsany, Kipling (what else are the Jungle Books) but some of the new folks are great fun as well -- Butcher, Sullivan, Lian Hearn.

[J.W.]

I am both too....
My reading covers a lot more ground, but my first love is fantasy, and I have no plans of writing outside of that.

[Jack]

I'm both, very much. I can't separate my reading self from my writing self. Even when I'm reading a book from one of my favorite writers, I can't help but edit their book for them in my mind as I go.

[Sandra]

I´m both too. But since I started publishing, the reading experience changed.
I still get lost in the stories, but have less patience for laziness, and edition issues jump at me (of course this does not mean I don´t need an editor myself).

[Michael]

@Sandra - it is very hard to "read for pleasure" after you become a writer - you look at everything you read through different eyes. This is both a good and a bad thing as we all learn by example so seeing the things that other writers do that you like, or hate, will help your writing out.

[Sandra]

Yes, Michael. I noticed. I read now to learn mostly. Vocabulary from some, resolution of plots from others. It is fun, just a different kind of fun. :D

[Doug]

I have always wanted to write a fantasy book. Heck, when I was 12, my best friend and I attempted to write a dragonlance book... it did not go well.

It's just one of those things that I never seem to get around to doing. I read things all the time and kick myself, thinking "Man, I should have thought of that!"

That is interesting that writing changes your ability to read for pleasure. I would hate to lose my ability to enjoy reading!

[Sandra]

@Doug go for it. It is a great experience.

A tiny recommendation if it didn´t work so far. Find out if you work better with an outline or free falling.

I just let the hands decide what to write about, and follow.

Some other people feel lost without an outline. If you are one of them, it is better to resolve the main arc first.

I didn´t stop enjoying reading. Just got more picky.

[LoveBooksAndCats]

I m just a reader

[L.G.]

Both.

Funnily enough, I often find myself reading things quite different from what I write - it helps keep the mind fresh.

[Ciara]

I am both, but I was a reader first. Sadly, my reading and writing time compete.

[Chris]

Both. Creating and absorbing other people's creations are both extremely rewarding.

[Marc]

Both, but lately I'm a reluctant reader. I prefer my stories character driven, and there aren't that many of those.

[Bev]

Reader only. Too many would be writers who self publish. Ig is hatd go get a decent ebook these days due to so much bad writing.

writing is a skill but everyone seems to think they can do it. They cannot.

[Marc]

Bev wrote: "Reader only. Too many would be writers who self publish. Ig is hatd go get a decent ebook these days due to so much bad writing.

writing is a skill but everyone seems to think they can do it. They..."

I once read a manuscript for an agent, that was written by his fellow agent. Really bad. The guy may have known a good book when he read one but he couldn't do it himself.

[Bev]

writing is a skill but everyone seems to think they can..."

Marc wrote: "Bev wrote: "Reader only. Too many would be writers who self publish. Ig is hatd go get a decent ebook these days due to so much bad writing.

writing is a skill but everyone seems to think they can..."

Exactly everyone should have a dream but some are just deluded.

[Steven]

I'm a long-time reader of fantasy. Sure, there's a lot of self-published crap out there, but I had an idea and I wrote a novel. OK, my book isn't going to win awards, but it was such a thrill to be in complete control of building a world and characters with which to fill it. I never knew how much work it is. Carving out the original idea is nothing, though it is by far the most fun. The seemingly endless rewriting is EVERYTHING — like 99% of the work. It gives me a whole new respect for those who do it well. I can tell you, it's an amazing exercise to write a book. Everyone should try it once. It will improve you as a reader.

[Bev]

Steven from my experience of moderating in this group, well i have to politely disagree.
Writers enjoy the experience but readers just want to read a good book, not analyse the writkng style. I dont need to respect the writer just enjoy the end result.

[Lina]

When you say writer, do you also mean screen writing? Cos I think it's a different ballpark. Sorry, before I carry on, I am definitely a reader, and when I write it's only to review something I enjoyed.

Back to screen writing, like for A Song of Ice and Fire, did GRRM write the screenplays? or were they written by someone else? Sorry if this is totally out of context, but is writing for the screen anything like writing a novel?

[Steven]

GRRM wrote the screenplay for (at least) one episode. I believe the rest were written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss? I hear that it's very difficult for an author to then successfully write the screenplay. Books and TV are such different animals. There are exceptions — Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay for the Gone Girl movie.

[Steven]

Bev wrote: "Steven from my experience of moderating in this group, well i have to politely disagree.
Writers enjoy the experience but readers just want to read a good book, not analyse the writkng style. I don..."

Perhaps I should have said, "It will improve you as a lover of the language." ;-)

When I get into a >good< book I get lost in the story and don't even notice the words anymore.

[Lina]

Steven wrote: "GRRM wrote the screenplay for (at least) one episode. I believe the rest were written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss? I hear that it's very difficult for an author to then successfully write the ..."

Thanks for that, didn't think I'd get a reply so soon! A bit shocking, I never really thought of who wrote what until I saw this thread.

[Cristian]

I just read, I have never thought of writing Fantasy.

[George]

Bev wrote: "...Writers enjoy the experience but readers just want to read a good book, not analyse the writkng..."

That is a great point. If I read to diagnose, it takes a lot of the fun out of it for me, even if I do learn something. When I read for enjoyment, I tune out the technical aspects and, unless it is something written poorly enough to distract, simply immerse myself in the story and enjoy the tale.

I love writing, but love reading for its own sake. They are two sides of the Storytelling coin.

[Steven]

I can usually turn off my analytical side and read for enjoyment. But sometimes, even when an author is taking me on a wild, enjoyable ride I come across a sentence that just hits me, and I have to stop and appreciate the craft. It seems that a new breed of reader is emerging, one that has no love for how beautiful a book can be. Do all books have to be non-stop action?

[Bev]

Steven wrote: "I can usually turn off my analytical side and read for enjoyment. But sometimes, even when an author is taking me on a wild, enjoyable ride I come across a sentence that just hits me, and I have to..."

Can a book not just be a good read?

[Chris]

Both. Lately more writing than reading, as the two activities have to share a time slot.

Ultimately though, if I was forced to choose, I'd rather write.

[Rebecka]

I am just a reader but would love to maybe in the future also be a writer:)

[Steven]

All writers are readers, but not all readers are writers — yet.

[Mili]

Im terrible with words, so no I dont write. I think I did try when i was a teenager to spill my thoughts, its not worth reading.I enjoy reading work by others.

Its great to see loads of people here also write.

[Lára]

Just a reader:

I'm too fond of reading books to care to write them.

- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
and

Times ared bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.

-Marcus Tullius Cicero

Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it's time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

[Cheryl]

I have always been an avid reader, and in the past 10 years, actually took the time to write two of my favourite genres - Dark/epic Fantasy and Urban/gothic Fantasy. I really enjoyed taking the conventions and molding them to my own characters. Reading really is one of the best ways to learn writing. Writing is second-best ;)

[Jack]

I'm very much in both camps. I read fantasy every chance I get -- when I'm not writing it.

[Yordan]

Since recently - both. When I joined the group I was just a reader with writing as nothing more than a hobby tho. :)
I read mostly fantasy, but inbetween every fantasy novel I squeeze a non-fiction one, a classic or something from another genre. Diversity is vital. :)

[Terry]

I am both. I try to balance reading for pleasure and reading for research. I agree with Greg that sometimes it's hard to read fiction when I'm deep into writing, but I do try to get through one book a month.