What do you wriite when you read?

[Stirling]

I try to vary my reading. My last three were a novel called "A Good Indian Wife," a journalist's look at street life in Mumbai, and now I'm reading "Cave in the Snow" about an Englishwoman who became a Tibetan nun. When I'm reading something I'm truly engrossed in, I tend to paint. However, when I write, I read mystery novels. For some reason, they just relax me and open my mind to my own creativity. I could not write a mystery novel to save my life but they are my book of choice when I'm writing.

[M.L.]

What I'm reading makes little or no difference to what I'm writing at the time. I read anything that strikes my fancy, all genres, and I've been surprised more than a few times in picking up a book I was sure I wouldn't like only to have the writer suck me into the story in less than a page.

Mari

[A.J.]

You are what you eat. It's true in writing, too.

Beginning writers feed back what they read directly: when you're reading Hunter Thompson, you write like Hunter Thompson. This is a natural way to learn, by imitation. Eventually, you develop your own style.

But you don't stop feeding back what you read. You just feed it back indirectly. It's not obvious, but it's still there.

So I try to read well. It's like getting a good diet. And since I'm always writing, I'm always reading.

What's the most inspiring thing to read? Author interviews -- good ones, critical ones that go after the what and how of writing rather than the irrelevant details of the author's life and celebrity. Hand me something like The Paris Review Interviews and I won't get through one interview without scurrying off to write. This kind of thing gives that sense of membership in a community, a profession, and the way to join the conversation is by writing.

[J.]

Reading a really good book always makes me want to go write, but when I'm really "in the zone" and writing up a storm, I don't read anything else at all.

For one thing, I don't want to spare the time. For another, if I'm deeply in my own story, I don't have the energy or the interest for someone else's.

Maybe I'm different from other writers, but I tend to write intensely in short periods. If I take a break from it -- to let things simmer and to get some perspective -- I will try to read anything at all that is good, but shy away from any book that sounds similar to my own.

For example, I just finished one about a Southern wedding in a small town -- not a particularly unique subject but unique in my own take on it. So I certainly didn't want to read anything about Southern families, weddings or small towns.

[Nascha]

I try to write everyday regardless of what I'm reading or not reading. Recently I've been reading books on writing and more literary books.
The writing books usually have tips or exercises that can help prompt the writing. Most times though, just reading about writing makes me want to write. So I try to do this when I've really hit a rough patch.
The literary books are definitely an inspiration and kind of take my mind away from the anxiety of writing. I definitely believe in the read what you want to write idea. So I try to read the best books in the hopes that it'll rub off on me. LOL.

[M.L.]

Don't forget though, that reading bad fiction can teach you just as much, if not more, about the craft than reading good fiction can.

I think it's evident from all the answers here that each writer is truly unique in what they read or don't, as well as what they write. Or don't.

Mari

[J.]

M.L. wrote: "Don't forget though, that reading bad fiction can teach you just as much, if not more, about the craft than reading good fiction can.

I think it's evident from all the answers here that each writ..."

Mari -- so true! Does anybody else find themselves reading a bad book - or even watching a bad movie? -- and critiquing the characterization or even making up their own plot? Thinking: "Now that was obvious, but what if the sister was really having an affair with the minister?"

[F.R.]

I inadvertently deleted my opening post here whilst trying to correct the various spelling and phrasing problems in the title (I must not post after drinking red wine. I must not post after drinking red wine. I must not post after drinking red wine.)

My original point was that I can only read non-fiction when I'm not writing, as if I'm writing I find non-fiction stunts my creativity. I have no idea why, but I find reading fictiom keeps me constantly inspired - even though there are some non-fiction books that are much better written than the fiction I've read.

As for what kind of fiction it doesn't matter, any genre is acceptable - even if I am working on a piece in the same area.

M.L. and J. Belinda are right. Reading bad fiction can be just as worthwhile, as it is good to learn from the mistakes others have made. The only time it becomes frustrating is when you find a book with a brilliant plot or core idea, and the author has made a complete hash of it. Then I feel annoyed that I didn't have that idea myself and done so much more with it.

[Courtney]

I go through binges btw reading mode and writing mode. I get stuck in reading mode a lot lately but I still have hope.

Peace,
C

[A.J.]

I can't see any reason to read bad stuff, honestly. Yes, bad writing can be instructive, but after you've established that the writer (for example) can't write dialogue, is there really any point in continuing to discover that he can't write dialogue? A few examples go a long way -- do you really need to slog through 100,000 words as a learning experience?

I read one egregiously bad book this year, but I only finished it because it was a review copy and I felt I owed the publisher (and a world of unwitting readers) a review. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wasted the time on it.

The one great benefit to reading the occasional bad book, though, is that it reassures me that there's at least one writer on earth less competent than I.

[J.]

Andrew wrote: "I can't see any reason to read bad stuff, honestly. Yes, bad writing can be instructive, but after you've established that the writer (for example) can't write dialogue, is there really any point i..."

I hate to resort to cyber-speak, but LOL. I spent most of my early life afraid to admit that I wanted to be a writer. In high school and college, I read nothing but "classics" from dead guys, and I thought "I can't be a writer, I'm not smart enough. You have to be a genius to be a writer." Then I got out of college and started reading stuff off the supermarket shelves, and realized, "Oh, good God, I can write at least as well as THAT!"

I certainly don't propose that anyone should deliberately try to read bad books, but sometimes you get sucked into one by accident. It can still be a learning experience.

Besides, what one person loathes, someone else will love. I can name several books from the bestseller lists that I thought were atrocious, but obviously the book-buying public didn't agree with me.

[M.L.]

Well, most of the time you fall into bad fiction by accident, but unless it's horrible, I tend to finish what I start. And in studying the bad parts of any book--bad dialogue, poor plotting, etc.--you oftentimes see where you're making mistakes in your own work.

Take the little words as and it, for example. I have a real gripe with these two words, and with the writers who tend to lean on them heavily. Reading fiction replete with unnecessary use of these two little words taught me about laziness and lack of specificity in my own work. I rarely use as and it in my work now and usually only if there's no other way. But my "no other way" I've noticed comes long after many other writers simply give up and refuse to rework and reword until they get the darn sentence or paragraph right. Bad fiction juxtaposed against good fiction taught me to keep trying.

Sometimes brilliant plotting is destroyed by poor writing. Or vice versa, but until you know the good from the bad, until you can see the difference, you're simply stabbing in the dark with your own work. Ah, but that's only my humble opinion on the matter. Your mileage will vary.

Mari

[Cheryl]

When I'm reading for reviews, I invariably get caught up in a roused memory and have to stop reading to write. Some image appears, some emotion evokes, some magic happens. Some of my best poems were written while reading.

[Debra]

J. Belinda wrote: "Does anybody else find themselves reading a bad book - or even watching a bad movie? -- and critiquing the characterization or even making up their own plot? Thinking: "Now that was obvious, but what if the sister was really having an affair with the minister?"

Yes, I do all the time! And you're right, it's actually really helpful in learning what not to do.