What Do You Read?

When a writer gives advice on reading, I always wonder what that writer reads. And since I’ve said in several advice articles to read as widely as possible, I thought I would expand on that tidbit. It’s more important than one may realize.

Everything you read has an influence on what you write. That influence may be huge and grand, perhaps even a conscious effort to make your piece fit with a certain style, or it may be small, barely noticeable. You may not see it at all, but it’s there somewhere.

Sometimes I look back to stuff I wrote years ago, and I see influences there that I wasn’t conscious of at the time. For me, these little discoveries are fun; sometimes they’re enlightening to my style and its development up to now. (At other times, I notice something and feel glad that it wasn’t published.)

I don’t believe anyone ever has a fully developed style. Just as we change as the years pass, our writing changes.

And while every artist is unique in many ways, we are still the sum of our influences.

My novels aren’t published yet, but that should not deter the level of one’s experience. Experience in writing is a world away from experience in publishing, and it’s writing – not publishing – that I’m talking about.

My writing isn’t technically science fiction, but it isn’t technically fantasy; it rides the line between the two. And I’m drawn more to scientific fields such as anthropology and archeology than, say, neurology or technology. I want to experience drama when I read, and I want to create drama when I write; describing the internal workings of a space rocket isn’t exactly drama.

And it’s our experience of that drama that creeps into our subconscious and influences what we write. It works a lot like life, in that sense, even though it’s primarily in the imagination when it comes to reading. But the fact that a book can scare you or make you laugh or cry is proof of the imagination’s power.

To expand on the passage, “read as widely as possible,” I’ve compiled a short list of books I’ve read in the past year or so. Keep in mind that I write on the line between science fiction and fantasy as you look it over.

“Gardens of the Moon,” by Steven Erikson (fantasy)

“A Game of Thrones,” by George R. R. Martin (fantasy)

“A.I.s,” a short-story collection, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois (science fiction)

“Dune: House Atreides,” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (science fiction)

“People of the Wolf,” by Kathleen and Michael W. Gear (historical fiction)

“Skeleton Crew,” by Stephen King (horror)

“Mister B. Gone,” by Clive Barker (horror)

“The Last Temptation of Christ,” by Nikos Kazantzakis (literary)

“Ghosts of Upstate South Carolina,” by John Boyanoski (nonfiction)

This is by no means a complete list of all the books I’ve read in the last year or so, but it shows the scope of reading widely. It’s not uncommon for me to read a translation of Dante’s Inferno and then go to something like “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

When you read on a wide scope, you open more doors for stylistic elements to come through that might not open if you stay within your comfort zone. With time, this will – one hopes – seep into your writing, making your style more and more unique.

Right now, I’m reading “The War of the Worlds,” by H. G. Wells. After that, I plan to read a more modern fantasy novel. And after that, who knows? I have a healthy collection of the modern and the ancient on my bookshelves.

Reading widely also heightens the chance of inspiration, new ideas, and so on. But it’s all about story, really; at least it is for me. If I can’t enjoy the story, or if there isn’t enough story there (if it reads like a textbook, for example), I can’t get much out of it. As a reader, I want to experience drama; as a writer, regarding reading, I want to learn from other writers.

Not only does a wide range add a breadth to your writing and, hopefully, your knowledge, but it also teaches you something else. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate more and more what literary wealth the human race has accumulated over the centuries.

If this article doesn’t aid anyone as I hope it will, let it at least stand as a tribute to those great storytellers that never met me but taught me nonetheless. Those storytellers that inspired me and fueled my dreams. And let it stand as a testament of one to whom words are sacred, and who is honored for the chance to add his words to this great wealth. Next to saving the environment, I can’t see a greater gift to leave the future generations than our stories.