Friday 28 December 2012

Writing Advice from Neil Gaiman: Read Outside your Genre

I enjoyed the Neil Gaiman's advice writing posted on Roland E. Yeoman's blog here.

This is what I took from it:

Writers should write. Yes. I agree. And I also liked the analogy comparing writing to dry stone walling. (Because I'm from Derbyshire).

Writers should finish what they start. Yes. Broadly in agreement with this. Although my execution can be a bit patchy.

Writers should read outside their genre. Ooh. Not so good on this one. I read  science fiction, horror, and fantasy short stories all the time. A little bit of history and a few classic novels--old favourites re-reads.

When I do read outside my genre, it's usually specific research for a story. And not in great depth. So for my current short story, I've been reading about lymph, vampires through history and Restoration spectacle plays. But only the wiki articles on such.

Tell a lie, I do read a book my very six weeks outside my genre for  book club. By eek, I can't say that I love it. Well I love book club, but not my mates' reading choices.

I'm very interested in your responses. Do you find that reading outside your genre helps with your writing?

13 comments:

  1. I mostly read outside of the genre nowadays. Yes, I think it helps. There's lots of stuff (plot structures, tropes, endings, character types) that is common outside of genre but not common inside genre. Including that stuff in genre work can, by itself, make you look innovative. Also, it's fun. If you only read within-genre, then eventually you have to start dipping down into more and more mediocre or untested books. If you go out of genre, then you can get your mind blown by another genre's Dune or Lord of the Rings.

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  2. I don't know if it helps my writing, but I do read genres I don't write in.

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  3. I'm with you. I only read outside my genre for research or, more recently, if written by fellow bloggers; sometimes I am pleasantly surprised.

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  4. I don't read outside the SF/F/H genres as much as I feel like would be ideal for my growth as a writer. As part of my goal of reading 500 short stories next year, I hope to do more non-SF reading.

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  5. I do read a fair amount of non-fiction. Also some mysteries. The occasional literary fiction piece. But for the most part I stick with my genre stuff. When I do read outside my genre it's usually for some specific reason - not for enjoyment.

    Still, Mr Gaiman offers sound advice.

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  6. Yes. I read outside my genre all of the time.

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  7. I don't read too many outside my genre either. I've tried to read more YA books this year, but it's hit or miss with me. I like a bit of non-fiction every couple of months, but mostly to wake up a sleepy brain!

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  8. Yes, I write YA but I read lots of adult fiction, some literary thrillers and some non-fiction, particularly cutting edge science essays. It is a very good thing.

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  9. I do think it is important to read outside of your genre, because to be unique in your genre (have a story that stands out above the rest), you've got to pull something else into it - AKA horror writers can benefit from SF, vice versa, and literary works have great character conflict to learn from. But I have to admit, it is a picky selective process on my part. My friends pass me books all the time (who read much different stuff than me), and I have difficulties making it further than a few chapters.

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  10. I'm a s-l-o-w reader and get bored easily, but I try to mix things up. Right now, I'm in the middle of King's 11/22/63 and Reynolds' Chasm City, but since they both could be pigeonholed as SpecFic, I guess I'm not branching out much...

    (I nominated your story "Captain Clone" for the Best of W1S1 Anthology.)

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  11. W1S1 anthology! How exciting. Thanks, Milo.

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  12. Hi, Deborah,

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

    I believe reading any type of writing will influence our own writing. Perhaps not monumentally but anything we experience in our lives will effect us somehow and that will be incorporated into our own writing.

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  13. I don't often read outside my genre (used to read a lot of Thrillers but am currently suffocating beneath an enormous to read pile)... Unless you count Science Ficiton which I don't write. Or at least not very often.

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