Susan, at Spinning, posed this question to writers, in her post on Reading & Writing, after she answered it on another blog. It’s a writing question on the surface only. It can apply to a lot of things people do, mostly creative. It only starts out in a context of writing. I suppose it has a lot to do with our ability to multi-task. I guess I tend to have more of a one-track mind.
When I’m writing fiction, I tend to read mostly nonfiction, often research related to what I’m writing, or a good book on writing, creativity, or personal growth. Anything that helps understand people and their motivations better is helpful to fiction writers, as well as anything that improves our story building skills and instincts—which isn’t necessarily limited to books on writing. I don’t go for the type of self-help books that offer quick fixes to personal problems. I classify most of those with fad diet books. But I’m drawn to books that help me understand human nature and the human experience on a deeper level.
My most recent satisfying nonfiction read is Sam Keen Inward Bound: Exploring the Geography of Your Emotions, first published in 1980 and revised in 1992 when it was resurrected from out-of-print limbo. This is the second time I’ve read this book, and I’ve come away with something new each time.
A few months ago I might’ve answered Susan’s question differently. I only recently realized I avoid reading fiction while I write it. I think it was a remark Eric Mayer made on his blog a few months ago that first prompted me to examine my reading habits. I sometimes try to pick up a novel while in the throes of a fiction writing cycle, only to notice I keep wanting to write instead, or that I begin to move away from my story in a way that isn’t helpful to my writing process. Now and then, when I burn out on my own work, I take a break and read fiction, but then I have to wiggle back into my story again. When I’m creating a populated fictional world I want to keep that world and its characters alive in my mind, not fill my mind with someone else’s. Reading fiction can inspire me to write, but I find that once I’m doing the creative bit, I’m caught up in a flow that I want to avoid interrupting unless I get stuck or burn out. I even sometimes find myself reading nonfiction from the mindset of a character in my story.
Movies and TV don’t have this effect, just reading. I watch my favorite movies and shows, and they don’t seem to hamper my illusory dream. But then I don’t have to work at watching those the same way my mind needs to be active while reading. If I was a TV writer or a movie maker that might be different.
I know I’m burning out when my own writing begins to invade my dreams at night, and those dreams prove more repetitive than refreshing. Then it’s time for a break. If it’s an extended break I may turn to novels.
Fiction writers need to read, and most enjoy reading lots of good writing, both fiction and nonfiction. My breaks tend to include some fiction, both as entertainment—one of my favorite forms, ever since I was a kid—and as a way of keeping up with the best work out there, letting the greats teach me by example. This year at this time I’m watching other blogs, reviewers, and reading lists like DorothyL, for their best reads of 2005, so I can build my own reading list to choose from at my next break. That way I won’t wind up one day, desperate for fiction, grabbing the first thing I glimpse in the grocery store—too often a source of disappointment. Word of mouth and careful browsing tend to lead me to the better books.
I guess, in a way, writing and vicariously experiencing the fictional world I’m writing about can be a substitute for reading. I really fear unconsciously adopting someone else’s style, so while writing I’m mostly reading nonfiction or something totally unlike what I’m working on.
Bestsellers can be less interesting to individual readers than non-bestsellers because to sell that many they need to appeal to a common denominator. Insofar as they appeal more generally there is less in particular to interest particular readers. (I love some bestsellers like Stephen King though — I’m not criticising bestsellers!) Lesser sellers can be quirkier and thus if they match our own quirks, more interesting.
I am going to post our book group’s new list in a couple of days. We always seem to find some real treasures. One of my alltime favorites is “The Life of Pi”, which won the Booker Prize a couple of years ago and the whole book group loved it.
I always seem to have a book in progress - reading or writing. Doesn’t affect me one way or the other to read fiction while writing fiction. Besides, reading a book is my main motivation to go to the gym every day -only way I can tolerate biking for 45 minutes. I look forward to seeing violetismycolor’s list. Am currently reading Prep by Sittenfeld. Fun read.
Barbara
I can understand why reading fiction might interrupt the process of writing one’s own fiction. Here are some rough, thoughts
Firstly, because a piece of fiction tends to have a distinctive voice, a creative voice,a voice with plays with language, which sings emotional harmonies with words, which you listen to, internally and with a view to building up an emotional fabric of and imbued with that voice. Non fiction can have that to, but it is designed to convince, to argue, not to transport and transcend the limitations of your own everyday experience.
Secondly, reading, fiction in particular, is also a form of writing. You are constructing a world, a view, a vision from the words that is perculiar to you as a reader, in a sense you are writing the book you are reading and it is an endevour that may, depending on your conciousness and the way you process information, to a certain extent replace or create interferance patterns with the act of writing your own fiction. This would particularly be the case if you are a careful reader, who takes the time to do the book you are reading justice, rather than skimming it. You are talking to yourself with another writers words, that is a powerful experience for a writer.
Thirdly, some people would argue that all writing is fiction,and reading non-fiction, is still reading a story of a sort. But of course it does not involve characters usually, unless it is biographical, and it is characters generally which define the impact and sucess of a piece of fiction. Charactesr always require you to position yourself at some level within their experiences, or identify with their experiences. Although TV and movies also use narrative techniques and character developments much the same as written fiction, they do not reach your awareness through the narrator, through the writers own voice, own written words, and own style. They used images, sounds which are not printed and final on the page, which are constantly changing before you.
Certainly I think it is beneficial to read and read and read when you write or as a writer. What I think is key if you want to read and write fiction at the same time, is to read a variety of different books, at the same time, to prevent that kind of immersion in a notehr writers style. But it may just be a thing that is personal to some people. I find it perfectly possible to read anything by any other writer in any gentre or form, once I have found the distinctive voice of the piece I am working on. Up to that point though, reading the fiction of a particularly powerful writer, or a book that I relate to very deeply can have quite a shaping effect on my piece. But perhaps this is not a bad thing, if you are working on something like a novel which will be revised and will change organically over the months and possibly years it takes to complete.
Kev
Eric, I’m never as worried I’ll be influenced as that I’ll lose my own thread. But I think this is a personal thing, likely different for each writer.
Violetismycolor, I loved Life of Pi. I look forward to your list.
Reenie, you’re lucky, and I know your writing voice is original and unique, so it’s clear to me this isn’t a problem for you as a writer.
Kev, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I especially related to what you said about reading as writing. I tend to be a slow, careful reader, and perhaps that’s what happens, I just get so very involved in what I read. I’ve always been that way, never really wanted to read fast. I take pleasure in savoring every word.