[Writing] On Writing What I Love to Read
Apr. 13th, 2013 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jon_chaissonI've been hearing that lately--the idea that the kind of story you want to write is often similar to what you love reading. A few of my writing friends mentioned that in the past few months, and I've also seen it on Twitter as well as in some of the writing magazines I subscribe to.
When I started taking my writing more seriously in the mid-90s, I'd originally started with a wave of Stephen King novels that my ex handed me (The Stand was of note, and was partly the inspiration for my penchant for an ensemble cast rather than a single POV). After I moved back to Athol, I made a conscious effort to pick up more science fiction novels, considering that was the genre I'd started writing at the time. But it wasn't until I was making the weekly trips to the comic book store at Hampshire Mall that I'd also started heading to the bookstores there--specifically, hanging out at the old anchor store there, Media Play (I think Best Buy is there now). They had a pretty decent science fiction section, and I'd spend an hour or so there, digging through the shelves and trying out a few novels here and there. This is where I found Kate Elliott's Jaran novels and Richard Paul Russo's Carlucci books, and a host of others.
Some of them fell by the wayside, read but not leaving much of an impression. On the other hand, there were others that just clicked with me--they may not be Hugo Award-winning novels, but they were books I really enjoyed. As I've often said, these are the novels that would hit me in just the right way that I'd want to run downstairs and start writing my own book right there and then. Those are the books that I love reading--the ones that spark that excitement, even if they're just entertainment. I've been reading a lot of different genres over the last ten years, but it's only recently that I've come back to actively looking for those specific books that hit me just the right way.
Recently I began reminding myself that that is the kind of book I want to write as well. I don't want to write The Great American Science Fiction Novel, nor do I want to write The Most Awesomest Book Ever (although having my stories labeled that after the fact would be nice!). I want to write something that will kick that spark of excitement in me, and hopefully in others. I think that reminding myself of that on a more consistent basis will in effect make my writing (and my revision) that much better.
When I started taking my writing more seriously in the mid-90s, I'd originally started with a wave of Stephen King novels that my ex handed me (The Stand was of note, and was partly the inspiration for my penchant for an ensemble cast rather than a single POV). After I moved back to Athol, I made a conscious effort to pick up more science fiction novels, considering that was the genre I'd started writing at the time. But it wasn't until I was making the weekly trips to the comic book store at Hampshire Mall that I'd also started heading to the bookstores there--specifically, hanging out at the old anchor store there, Media Play (I think Best Buy is there now). They had a pretty decent science fiction section, and I'd spend an hour or so there, digging through the shelves and trying out a few novels here and there. This is where I found Kate Elliott's Jaran novels and Richard Paul Russo's Carlucci books, and a host of others.
Some of them fell by the wayside, read but not leaving much of an impression. On the other hand, there were others that just clicked with me--they may not be Hugo Award-winning novels, but they were books I really enjoyed. As I've often said, these are the novels that would hit me in just the right way that I'd want to run downstairs and start writing my own book right there and then. Those are the books that I love reading--the ones that spark that excitement, even if they're just entertainment. I've been reading a lot of different genres over the last ten years, but it's only recently that I've come back to actively looking for those specific books that hit me just the right way.
Recently I began reminding myself that that is the kind of book I want to write as well. I don't want to write The Great American Science Fiction Novel, nor do I want to write The Most Awesomest Book Ever (although having my stories labeled that after the fact would be nice!). I want to write something that will kick that spark of excitement in me, and hopefully in others. I think that reminding myself of that on a more consistent basis will in effect make my writing (and my revision) that much better.
