To be an aspiring writer is to be an avid reader; but an avid reader of what? Is there a connection between preferred reading material and writing strengths/weaknesses?
Here’s one for all my fellow writers out there (my fellow readers will hopefully indulge the divergence).
Perhaps the most common piece of advice dispensed to the yet-to-be-published writers of this world is to read, and read broadly. The idea of a writer who does not maintain a healthy reading habit is pretty much up there with ‘political integrity’ and ‘sober socialite’ in the oxymoron hierarchy, however it can sometimes be easy to fall into the rut of our favoured genre and forget that there is a great deal to be gained by treading new paths through the bookstore, and occasionally even forcing down a title or two from a genre that you’d normally have nothing to do with.
All writers have strengths and weaknesses. Some of us are able to create characters as real as the readers themselves, but then go and ramrod them into a setting and plot with as much life and realism as a Barbie dream home. Others are the exact opposite; forging elaborate worlds and page-turning storylines, only to populate them with characters about as imbued as the denizens of your average Where’s Waldo? page.
That being said, reading is very much like eating. Too much of one thing leaves many a bodily need unattended, while the ideal goal is a healthy, balanced and reasonably diverse diet. With that in mind, consider adding a little variety to your bookshelves, as a study of each genre will yield benefits in different areas.
Romance
Alright, to be fair, I’ll start with my own personal anti-purchase (I own about as many of these as Fabio does shirts with collar buttons). As little interest as I might have in reading romance, I can still see the merit of hesitating when next I pass the Wal-mart checkout. For one thing, while perhaps no other genre has been criticized as much for cookie-cutter character variants and clichéd storylines, it remains that the core of any romance novel is strong and complex inter-character relationships (and yes, that’s true in about every way you might take it). The best-done of this genre can serve as templates for how to get away from both the boy-meets-girl plot and those which are unnecessarily complicated by behaviours that a reader will find bizarre, unmotivated and unlikely to occur in their own world. There are certainly a good many writers of other genres who could do with a bit of practice when it comes to depicting people interacting realistically, be it in a romantic situation or otherwise.
Mystery
For anyone who’s ever been told that their plot was too predictable, straight-forward or simply not all that interesting, consider plucking something of the whodunit variety from the shelves. A mystery done well will keep readers enthralled until the end, desperate to prove capable of solving things before the hero does, and then have them flipping in reverse to review any and all glanced-over details before finally letting go. This isn’t to say that your non-mystery must involve a murder, butler and/or parlour (those three do tend to go hand in hand . . . millionaires take note) but that deciphering the plot structures of some of this genre’s better examples can reveal tricks for adding that same intriguingly addictive quality to your own work.
Fantasy
I have said it before, I shall say it again: There is no other field of writing that requires quite as much imagination and as broad a knowledge-base as does fantasy. Those who have not yet been won-over by the resurgence of Lord of the Rings or the emergence of Harry Potter may still sneer at fantasy as the realm of childhood fable (and it is, of course, along with other sub-genres that no one unable to earn a license should be allowed near), but it remains that to write quality fantasy is to exchange ten-percent of the effort involved in research and fact-finding – you often make your own world – for double that required in complex creative detail – you often make your own world. For those not familiar with fantasy, while a brief break from reality may not leave you ready to start writing of quests and quidditch, you will certainly gain exposure to new ways of imagining settings, characters, themes . . .
Non-Fiction
R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H. Some may find the world outside of fiction a dull, dry place, but like the Klondike and the Alberta Tar Sands, it’s often the seemingly barren locales that yield the greatest resources. Anyone struggling with character development would be depriving themselves of a valuable source of inspiration if they didn’t consider picking up a biography or two, while histories can yield-up new environments and settings (particularly for historic-fiction) and subjects on politics, science, economics, etc. will all prove literal mines for future plot twists and turns.
Classic Fiction
There is a reason why journalism majors are subjected to classes like ‘JSM 101 - The History of Journalism’, bio-students to ‘The Origins of Science’ and so on. For anyone looking to break into a field with a venerable past, it is a not-always obvious benefit to know the history of your career (not to mention a sign of respect). An author who has never read works such as Ivanhoe, Dante’s Inferno, Treasure Island or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is one who has turned their back on a host of examples showing – quite literally – exactly what they should trying to do. There’s a very good reason why, even if you haven’t read a one of those titles, you still recognized them. Think about it!
While by no means an exhaustive list, this should be enough examples to prove that, while very few people truly have a genuine interest in all forms of writing, anyone who intends to write well enough that someone else might one day look to their work for hints should keep an open mind, and an expansive bookcase.
