Love Writing, Hate Reading

Shoot Owl

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Does anyone else not like to read? You'd often hear people say that if you want to be a good writer, you should read a lot. While it's true that you can learn a lot from reading, I don't particularly fancy it. I learn a lot about stories from movies and games, and I'd like to think my vocabulary and grammar are adequate. I've probably read less than a dozen proper novels in my life.
 

mrsmig

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There's more to writing (and I assume you're talking about novels, not nonfiction) than just grammar and vocabulary. There are plot arcs, character development, structure, pacing, narrative vs. dialogue, transitions - all the things that movies and games can accomplish visually, but a writer must achieve with words.

Saying you hate reading but wish to write a novel is like someone saying they hate using tools but hope to build a house all by themselves.



ETA: Just read your other post about having no luck finding an agent or selling your short works. I strongly suggest you accrue your 50+ posts so you can post both your query and an excerpt from your book in the Share Your Work section (password: vista). There are plenty of novel-savvy folks here who can help you pinpoint problems.
 
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Marissa D

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I promise I'm not being snarky, but I have to ask--if you don't like to read, why do you want to write? I'll assume it's because you're drawn to storytelling, yes? But I would say that if you want to write books, you kind of need to read them, too. Or are you interested in writing things other than books/short stories, like screenplays or game-writing? Or in performance storytelling?
 

AW Admin

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Writers need to read.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.”—Stephen King.

See Reading for Writers

I'm not adamant about much in terms of writing, but on this, I'm absolutely adamant. You need to read.

If you're writing for games, it's possibly less important to read books than it is for a writer of books, but it absolutely makes games better if you've read a lot too.

Writers interested in fiction, or non-fiction or poetry or even script writing—lots of reading is mandatory.
 
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BenPanced

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It also helps to read outside your preferred specialty. For example, I write M/M romance but I'm stuck in biography overdrive lately.
 

Fruitbat

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Sure, most writers are most likely "word people" all around, which includes a background of lots of reading.

However, listen, if you personally feel like writing, go ahead and do it! If nothing else, it's free and it keeps us off the streets lol.

Anyway, there are exceptions to every rule, and it could also happen that writing causes you to enjoy reading more, even if it usually goes the other way around. No prerequisites are required to get on that computer and hammer out a story if that's what you feel called to do.Good luck. :)
 

Ari Meermans

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I'm another in the writers must read camp. For one thing, studies have shown that reading fiction increases empathy. Hand-in-hand with that, we can't draw on the emotions needed in our writing—or elicit the emotion we want from our readers—from the limited scope of personal experience and observation.

For another, as everyone else has stated we learn far more than grammar and vocabulary by reading, or as Lisa puts it in the Reading for Writers blog post she referenced: "We work from models; we learn from models, in terms of learning other crafts and how to be adult humans; why should writing be any different?"
 

yumpty-tum

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I can't imagine not enjoying reading. And I can't imagine how anyone could enjoy writing but not enjoy reading, it's like wanting to play the guitar but not liking music...
 

Olde1649

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I've got a flicker of sympathy with Shoot Owl: I find I'm getting very impatient with bad writing, to the point where I can't read it. Sometimes I have wandered along bookshop shelves, desperate for something to read, and not being able to find it.

But, on the other hand, I think that since I started to write, I've enjoyed good fiction more.
 

Unimportant

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I reckon most writers do read for pleasure, just as most painters visit galleries and art museums for pleasure. Writers who are writing solely for their own pleasure, purely as a hobby, don't need to read; their work doesn't need to be put into any context since, in essence, it exists in a vacuum. (Which is not meant to diss; it's perfectly fine.) But writers who aim for commercial publication need to read -- not necessarily for pleasure, but to learn how a story is structured and to know their genre's history, tropes, cliches, standards, and reader expectations.

Editing to add: Though surely all writers read their own writing? And enjoy it? Unless the writer has such a phenomenal memory that, having committed the words to keyboard, they are forever engraved in the writer's mind. Not something I can imagine, since my own memory is utterly shite.
 
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writeonleanne

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It also helps to read outside your preferred specialty. For example, I write M/M romance but I'm stuck in biography overdrive lately.

I second this and think it's super important. I write YA sci-fi, but read a ridiculous amount of everything: from regency romance to zombie horror to low fantasy to science nonfiction like STIFF. I think reading outside of my preferred speciality helps me churn up ideas.

Also, I'd like to second what everyone else is saying: reading is super important. Novels are structured much differently than movies or videogames. That being said—if you can do it successfully, all the power too you. I would recommend seeking out a beta reader before you publish or submit a query, however.
 
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Brightdreamer

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Agreeing that reading is an unavoidable part of writing, particularly if you intend to write for public consumption. Call it "market research" if you can't call it pleasure, but you have to know enough about what's been written and what's currently selling to hone your own stories. For instance, someone who doesn't read a lot could think their idea for a boy who discovers he's really a wizard, and there's this whole hidden world of wizardy in modern times, is entirely original. By not reading Harry Potter and various other tales of modern-day hidden magic worlds, that person wouldn't stand a chance of creating a story original enough to hold its own in a rather crowded arena.

Learning from video games and movies just isn't the same - unless you want to write for video games and movies. Yeah, there's plot and character and such, and some very interesting storytelling going on, but there's an awful lot of stuff that books can't and don't have. You can't rely on a voice actor to bring dialog to life. You don't have a soundtrack. Graphics are limited to static illustrations - if those. (You don't see a lot of illustration in the average adult novel.) A book reader doesn't make choices that affect the flow ("gamebooks", like Choose Your Own Adventure titles, notwithstanding), or embody a character that might affect dialog and reaction,and they aren't parsing the dialog for clues to gameplay and puzzles... and they can't just click through dialog and expect important stuff to show up in the logbook for future reference. In a book, you have only two tools to communicate a story: printed words and the reader's mind. You're doing yourself a disservice not to figure out how to use those two tools effectively, or study how others do so (or fail to do so.)

As a suggestion... have you considered audiobooks? Some find it easier to "read" with audiobooks; they can even take a walk or do chores while consuming literature, which might help if you're just too restless or impatient to sit down with a book.
 
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AR_Kingston

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I'm sure there are exceptions to every rule, but I believe that writers have to read. Or at the very least be very familiar with what they are writing so that the readers don't end up with some horrible misrepresentation of what they have grown accustomed to in a genre. I'm one of those people who doesn't appreciate you taking something I love, crumpling it up, and telling me "well I was creative." No, just no.
I get that you get inspiration from games/movies, heck, most of my ideas come from old RPG games. But you need to read to at least begin to understand how a book is structured and what works.
 

Jan74

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I think you've convinced yourself to not enjoy reading. Why would you want to write a book if you don't enjoy books? Sorry but I'm totally scratching my head on this. Did you think it was going to be an easy way to make money? How can you improve your skills if you don't read. Sometimes I'll spend hours scrolling through amazon just reading the first few pages of the books for sale(the sneak peaks). Usually after one paragraph I'll close it, but the books I read to the end of the preview I reread, trying to learn from them...what snagged me....why did I like it....what can I learn from the author. Then if the pages really grab me and I have to read it, I write it down and go to my library and look up the author and soak up whatever I can get my hands on. I happen to love libraries so this works for me.

I think you need to find books that appeal to you. Maybe you need to start with books that are super fast paced and quick. Stay away from large drawn out works. I wish you the best and hope you SYW for the members here to critique.
 

BenPanced

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It was reading that made me a writer.

Same here. I was reading when I was around 4 years old (my kindergarten teacher told my mother that she was worried about my vocabulary. My mother immediately became upset when she imagined I was running around the playground swearing like a sailor but my teacher told her I was already in the 1st or 2nd grade range, using the 10 cent words when everybody else was using 5 cent words) and I wrote my first story when I was 7.
 

Jaymz Connelly

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You can read without writing, but I dunno how you could possibly write without reading.
 

stephenf

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To be a writer you will need to write something . I don't believe writing can be taught . The skill of writing is developed by the writer themselves . It has been said by almost every respondent , reading is a vital part of that development , and I also believe that. But don't be discouraged and prove everybody wrong.
Good Luck
 

noirdood

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I wonder if you have been told way too many times that writers read great (read: musty) fiction and that you must do it also. And had it pounded into your brain that the type of stuff you like is "low class," so the result is that you are not reading what you love.
Personally, I'm mad at Raymond Chandler because he is not writing any more books. I know he is deceased but I'm still ticked off. I haven't found a lot of current murder mysteries that come within a country mile of him.
I read a lot and I mean a lot of non-fiction. I like to read about how stuff is really done so I can write my fiction based on what happens in the real world. Who knew that Mr. Toad would be found squatting in the Oval Office?
 

chompers

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I'm actually one who doesn't like to read. But that's because I used to read A LOT when I was younger and now I'm sick of reading. But I still do it because it really does help with your writing. And for those wondering, no, I never saw myself as a writer. I leaned more toward art and just fell into writing out of boredom one summer.

- - - Updated - - -

Personally, I'm mad at Raymond Chandler because he is not writing any more books. I know he is deceased but I'm still ticked off. I haven't found a lot of current murder mysteries that come within a country mile of him.
Haha, I think this is probably the best thing I've ever read.
 

Undercover

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But do you like to read your own writing? If you want to be published you'll have to read your manuscript over and over and over several times. I also agree that if you want to be a commercial writer, you'll need to read what's out on the market, to know what's selling and what's not. You don't have to read tons of books, just enough to know what's going on in the market.

For me, reading can be challenging since I have a mental illness and I'm easily distracted. I'm really picky when it comes to reading. BUT when I find something I love, reading feels amazing. Puts you right there into the story. It will be a hard journey if you don't fall in love with reading, but want to write a book. It's impossible to do one without the other.
 

Harlequin

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Watching movies is nowhere near the same. It's more than just storytelling, and basic grammar awarenness; you talk about writing as if the technical aspect of doing it is somehow incidental, rather than essential.

Besides, it's just common courtesy. If you want people to read your writing, you should be willing to read others'. Even if you *can* write professionally without reading--you shouldn't.

I really think there is no other profession in which this would even be debatable. If I wanted to be a chef but didn't enjoy eating food, and insisted that I don't need to because I've learned a lot about cooking from watching shows, would you not think that was a little bizarre?


NB: I wouldn't say this if you were just writing for fun and pleasure and self expression, but if you're pursuing agents and wanting to be a a professional writer, then it's unequivocal.
 
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