Jason A. Joseph's Blog

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had an interest in reading as well as writing. I had my own favorite genres that always seem to reflect in the stories I wrote. After reading a given story I was usually inspired to spin my own written tale in a similar Universe to that of which I read, not really worrying about copyright infringement as such adult matters were far beyond my imagination.
As I grew older and my writing more serious, I began to see more clearly the pros and cons of finding inspiration through the books I was reading. I mostly stuck to reading books in the genre I loved and I will always advocate that one should never stop reading, especially writers who wish to improve their craft.
Reading books in the same genre as you write can be both positive and negative. One negative reason is that doing so can lead to subconscious storyline duplication. Although you may feel as though you are creating an original work of written art, it may be closer to that book you just read than you think.
Another downside to reading the same genre as you write is that one can easily lose focus on their original story idea. This idea, which at first is unlike anything the writer previously read, can become tainted through the outside influences coming from the same genre of books. The writer’s storyline will slowly change, and although this isn’t always a bad thing, that idea that was once a unique gem on its own suddenly becomes partial to an outside source.
But perhaps the pros outweigh the cons. It depends how you look at the situation. Reading books in the same genre as you read can also lead to great things. One positive aspect to doing so would be that through extensive reading of your favorite genre, your writing can become more fine-tuned with better grammar and vocabulary. Writers will have a clearer idea of what works, what doesn’t and the keys to good plot development. Reading the genre in which you write can almost be like taking a writing class from your favorite author. By analyzing their style, a writer can improve on their own. Also, through reading a certain genre that a writer finds appealing, a writer can regain their motivation. Sometimes a writer can come to a mental block or run out of steam. This can spell potential disaster to any piece of writing in progress. A writer can find the motivation they need through reading the same kind of genre in order to get back at their work to finish it.
There can be hundreds of reasons to why writing in the same genre as your favorite books can be good or bad. No matter what the reason, a writer, whether novice or experienced, must always stay true to their own originality with a focused strive to improve on their method.

For those of you who think that being a writer is exciting, cool, or just plain the best job you could ever have..you are correct, “at least in my opinion it is.”
Writing for me is a way to express my feelings and live in another world at times, and since I love to write thrillers, it is how I can use my imagination and bring to paper the life that either others or myself would want to live.
I am sure that most of us have dreamed or imagined what it would be like to live like the characters in our favorite books. Most writers that I know who publish short stories will admit that it is a form of escape, where they can let their imagination just run wild and become a part of the world they are creating.
By doing this, it also allows the reader to be pulled into the story or character and see him or herself in their place! Writing thrillers, is my way of taking the readers boring repetitive life, and placing them into a world with action, mystery, and excitement.
It is a form of freedom for me, being able to take my thoughts and put them on paper for others to enjoy! Sometimes it is even hard for me to stay focused, as I am caught up in the story myself. Do I have the greatest part-time job in the world?
Actually no, “because something this fun cannot be a job!”