Indie Publishing Guide: Reading Tip #3: Become an expert in multiple genres
This is probably self-evident, but if you're going to write in a specific genre, you better become an expert in that genre. You already love that kind of book (or that kind of television show or movie), so this shouldn't be a problem. However, if you write, say, science fiction and you've never read Foundation, The Martian Chronicles, Dune, Brave New World, Ender's Game, Stranger in a Strange Land, Slaughter House Five, or any number of other classic science fiction novels or collections that I haven't mentioned, you should. It provides the foundation for your own work, the references, the styles, the moods, characters, settings . . ., and it informs you as to which plots, themes, characters, references, etc . . . to avoid.
However, that isn't enough. Since many genres overlap, you should read as many as possible. Pretend you're a sci-fi writer. You've read all of the books I mentioned above and more. You Love Star Wars AND Star Trek. You've seen THX 1138. You've read tons of those old Sci-fi compilations (The Best Science Fiction of the Year 1967, etc . . .). You are an expert in your genre, and that's outstanding. But why stop there? Why not crossover into horror? The two are intrinsically interlinked anyway. Make it easy for yourself. Start with Night Shift, Stephen King's first collection of short stories. Read Carrie. After that, try some of the other classics, like The Other, Ghost Story, Carrion Comfort. From there, challenge yourself a little with the classics: The Turn of the Screw, Dracula, Frankenstein. Soak up as much H.P. Lovecraft as possible. Give Poe a whirl.
Once you've burned all the way through all the horror you can stomach, try something radical. Become an expert in drama. Read contemporary some contemporary literature: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, A Prayer For Owen Meany, Moo, The Corrections, A Confederacy of Dunces, The Goldfinch, The Life of Pi, Middlesex.
Sometimes a writer can get mired in the themes, characters, plots, and setting that are too typical of the kind of fiction she writes, and that's dull. If you master as many different types of stories as possible, you can make strides to avoid that kind of monotony. Good storytelling is good storytelling, no matter what genre you work with. Adopting the different qualities of other fiction can benefit writers in terms of coming up with new, exciting, and creative ideas.
Next up: Writing Tips for When it isn't Going Well
Are you a fan of horror or post-apocalyptic fiction?
CLICK HERE to join my email list and receive a free short story, audio book, and theme song for "Beta":
A monster terrorizes an isolated village in the mountains of Eastern Europe, draining the blood of its victims, leaving them frozen in the snow. The villagers hunt wolves, decapitate “vampires,” but the murders continue. As each new body is found, the residents grow more and more paranoid. The cobbler's son decides to investigate, putting himself in grave danger. Who will be next? Will it ever end?
Sign up here!
www.jamesnoll.net
--JN
However, that isn't enough. Since many genres overlap, you should read as many as possible. Pretend you're a sci-fi writer. You've read all of the books I mentioned above and more. You Love Star Wars AND Star Trek. You've seen THX 1138. You've read tons of those old Sci-fi compilations (The Best Science Fiction of the Year 1967, etc . . .). You are an expert in your genre, and that's outstanding. But why stop there? Why not crossover into horror? The two are intrinsically interlinked anyway. Make it easy for yourself. Start with Night Shift, Stephen King's first collection of short stories. Read Carrie. After that, try some of the other classics, like The Other, Ghost Story, Carrion Comfort. From there, challenge yourself a little with the classics: The Turn of the Screw, Dracula, Frankenstein. Soak up as much H.P. Lovecraft as possible. Give Poe a whirl.
Once you've burned all the way through all the horror you can stomach, try something radical. Become an expert in drama. Read contemporary some contemporary literature: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, A Prayer For Owen Meany, Moo, The Corrections, A Confederacy of Dunces, The Goldfinch, The Life of Pi, Middlesex.
Sometimes a writer can get mired in the themes, characters, plots, and setting that are too typical of the kind of fiction she writes, and that's dull. If you master as many different types of stories as possible, you can make strides to avoid that kind of monotony. Good storytelling is good storytelling, no matter what genre you work with. Adopting the different qualities of other fiction can benefit writers in terms of coming up with new, exciting, and creative ideas.
Next up: Writing Tips for When it isn't Going Well
Are you a fan of horror or post-apocalyptic fiction?
CLICK HERE to join my email list and receive a free short story, audio book, and theme song for "Beta":
A monster terrorizes an isolated village in the mountains of Eastern Europe, draining the blood of its victims, leaving them frozen in the snow. The villagers hunt wolves, decapitate “vampires,” but the murders continue. As each new body is found, the residents grow more and more paranoid. The cobbler's son decides to investigate, putting himself in grave danger. Who will be next? Will it ever end?
Sign up here!
www.jamesnoll.net
--JN
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