Love Writing, Hate Reading

KTC

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It seems a bit (more than a bit) odd that you would expect others to read your writing when you yourself can't be bothered to read? I'm 100% baffled.

Reading is slightly (more than slightly) different than watching movies and playing games.
 

Shoot Owl

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Thanks for the replies! I may have a brain disorder which makes reading and retaining increasingly difficult as I get older(srs). I read more than my peers at an early age, but now I don't know more than a handful of authors. I do read, though very slowly - I recently finished reading one novel (which had a disappointing climax and ending, in my opinion) and a non-fiction book (which had a few good lessons buried under a mountain of fluff). I recently started another non-fiction book.

I'm also working on a game; storytelling is indeed my thing.


Also, how do you pitch screenplays and video game stories?
 

Wild Fire

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I totally understand what you are saying. And movies and TV shows do teach me about storely lines and ideas. Yes i think it is possible to be a writer without being a reader but reading other peoples books is a really good experience for writers. Most of the time books are thought out and done much better than movies. I think it is also good to be a reader because, well writing the story is only half the battle. Editing is the other. Editing requires you to reread your story a lot or it does in my case. Also reading well wirtten novels is really good becuse you can see how it is done. If you want to be a writer i strongly suggest you try and force yourself to read a book regularly. However if you just cant finish a novel i think practice will help you become a good writer even if you dont read much.
 

Shoot Owl

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I plan on trying to read more when my game is complete. I'm especially curious about what made 50 shades so ridiculously popular.
 

mccardey

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I plan on trying to read more when my game is complete. I'm especially curious about what made 50 shades so ridiculously popular.
I think there was sex in it. Lots and lots of sex.

ETA: I'm just guessing. It might have been recipes.
Hope that helps. :granny:
 
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Brightdreamer

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I think there was sex in it. Lots and lots of sex.

ETA: I'm just guessing. It might have been recipes.

No, you're thinking of the parody cookbook, Fifty Shades of Chicken.

(Yes, it's real. Saw it in the library, and bought a copy for a relative once. The recipes are supposed to be good...)

But, yeah... the sex was reportedly a big draw. And a number of people only bought it to read because they'd heard it was poorly written, in a form of literary rubbernecking.

ETA: If chicken isn't your thing, try its companion, Fifty Shades of Bacon...
 
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Shoot Owl

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Don't lots of books have sex? I feel like a poorly written book which makes millions should be the greatest incentive for any aspiring writer.
 

Helix

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Don't lots of books have sex? I feel like a poorly written book which makes millions should be the greatest incentive for any aspiring writer.

Have you read it? If you haven't read it, how do you know that it's poorly-written? And why would a poorly-written book be an incentive to a writer?
 

cornflake

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Don't lots of books have sex? I feel like a poorly written book which makes millions should be the greatest incentive for any aspiring writer.

I too am lost, and I guess lots of books have sex, given there are lots and lots of books, but plenty don't. Especially plenty don't have light erotica.
 

Harlequin

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mccardey

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Don't lots of books have sex? I feel like a poorly written book which makes millions should be the greatest incentive for any aspiring writer.
well I haven't read it either, so I don't know if it's poorly written - but I don't know if many writers would really aim to create poorly written books. (I don't know any writers who are expecting to make millions of dollars, either.. )
 

EMaree

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Shoot Owl, since you're new I think you may have missed the Newbie Guide, which is well worth reading in full, particularly the only rule: Respect your fellow writers.
That includes EL James, who is doing far better as a professional writer than any of us tapping away over here.

Might I suggest this article, re FSOG
https://thebaffler.com/salvos/fifty-shades-of-late-capitalism

EL James is no incentive for anything; she might as well have won the lottery. Not to disparage her efforts, but what I mean is that her success is probably not replicable.

Major NSFW flag for this link. I skim-read it (skimming because I found the weird anti-kink holier-than-thou tone insufferable -- it might not be your sexy cuppa tea, friend, but millions disagree) but didn't see any real discussion about how her success is not replicable, or she 'won the lottery', so I'm curious where this comes from.

Honestly, I'm leery of your statement because our industry has a nasty habit of credit successful female writers with 'luck' rather than skill. EL James didn't just luck out into writing exactly what the market wanted. She paid attention to what readers wanted, she timed it well, and she put in hundreds of hours in the AU fanfic mines before moving into original fiction.
 
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Marian Perera

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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 fewer than a dozen proper novels in my life.

I keep these links handy for moments such as this :

I don't like reading but yet I have the dream of being a writer

Do you know of any writers that...

I do not read books...

I HATE reading novels, and find most just stupid and pointless

There are more I haven't saved, but they're all sort of predictable eventually because they never end with the writer's success despite a refusal to read, or hatred of reading.
 
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Harlequin

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Sure, but I think a fair few writers put that in. The level of success is unusual, and many people have tried to copy her.

Fsog was the one mentioned, but Dan brown probably works as well. Although he's not so new I guess. I dunno, I'm probably wrong.

Games writers still read, or should do.
 

mccardey

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Those are some depressing links. It is hard to bear at the best of times when people say they don't like books or reading, never mind wanting to create a media they dislike consuming. I dunno.
They're surprising links, but honestly if someone wants to write, they should write regardless of other expectations. Writing is great therapy for all sorts of things. And (mostly) fun, as well.
 

Ambrosia

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Thanks for the replies! I may have a brain disorder which makes reading and retaining increasingly difficult as I get older(srs). I read more than my peers at an early age, but now I don't know more than a handful of authors. I do read, though very slowly
I was puzzled by the thread title and your OP. My question would have been "why", but reading through the thread you finally answered it. It sounds to me like, since you read more than your peers when you were younger, that you don't hate reading at all. It sounds like you hate reading with all the limitations now imposed on you. That is a far different statement, and I totally understand it. The older I get, the harder it is to do many things that once brought me joy. To the point where sometimes I ask myself why I'm still doing those things. The truth is I do still find joy, it's just harder to get to the joy through the task part.

- I recently finished reading one novel (which had a disappointing climax and ending, in my opinion) and a non-fiction book (which had a few good lessons buried under a mountain of fluff). I recently started another non-fiction book.

So two books read and one in process. Sounds like you are getting the reading bit done, albeit slower and with more difficulty than you might want.

Are the non-fiction books on writing? Game writing? Coding? Do they have something to do with the direction you want to go in writing, or is it some other type of non-fiction? Do you want to write fiction or non-fiction?

Someone up-thread mentioned audio books. You might find listening easier than reading. You will miss some beneficial things about writing from listening, but you will get the story building benefit. I'm betting you learned the beneficial parts needed from reading a book while you were still young enough to enjoy the reading.

I'm also working on a game; storytelling is indeed my thing.

Good luck on your game. Storytelling can be extremely important in games, depending on the type of game it is, and many of those that need good storytelling fall short of the goal, in my experience.

Also, how do you pitch screenplays and video game stories?
I suggest a different thread, perhaps in a different forum on AW. You will get better responses, I think, if you don't try to mix up your OP with this question. :)


Now we go down the rabbit hole:

But, yeah... the sex was reportedly a big draw. And a number of people only bought it to read because they'd heard it was poorly written, in a form of literary rubbernecking.

Don't lots of books have sex? I feel like a poorly written book which makes millions should be the greatest incentive for any aspiring writer.

Have you read it? If you haven't read it, how do you know that it's poorly-written? And why would a poorly-written book be an incentive to a writer?

Shoot Owl, since you're new I think you may have missed the Newbie Guide, which is well worth reading in full, particularly the only rule: Respect your fellow writers.
That includes EL James, who is doing far better as a professional writer than any of us tapping away over here.

I agree the Newbie Guide is a must read for all AW members. Respect your fellow writer is a cardinal rule at AW.

That said, I think it is important when someone comments on another person's post, that we do not assign those words or thoughts to the person commenting. Shoot Owl never said the book was poorly written or that EL James was a crap writer.

It is alright to comment on a book, however, right? As long as we do not make it about the writer but about the specific problems in a book?

As far as me, I've read a lot of books that make me wonder how on earth they got published in the first place. As a writer, it kind of gives me hope that if something that bad can get published, perhaps a good story well told by me can get published too. I don't know for sure if that is what Shoot Owl meant, but that was how I took it.
 

Chasing the Horizon

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I find movies extremely helpful with learning about plotting, pacing (particularly what they choose to show and what they don't, since movies generally lack the option of summary through narrative), dialogue, and character development (again because movies lack the ability to TELL you what a character is thinking and feeling, so the really good ones find brilliant ways of showing it instead). But I also love reading, and can't imagine why I'd have chosen to become a writer if I didn't. Like, it truly baffles me. I probably do prefer writing over reading to some extent, mostly because it's a more immersive experience for me, but reading is certainly the second most immersive.
 

AR_Kingston

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I plan on trying to read more when my game is complete. I'm especially curious about what made 50 shades so ridiculously popular.

Despite what some may say, I rather enjoyed 50 Shades. It was a fun, easy to read book. Sometimes I like long, drawn out story lines. Other times I just want a fun book to read at the beach. It took me less than a day to polish off 50 Shades, same for 1000 Nakes Strangers.
 

Brightdreamer

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Ambrosia - Apologies if I came across as violating the RYFW rule. I was recalling reviews that discussed the sex content, specifically its portrayal of BDSM, which came across as the major selling point, considered envelope-pushing for "mainstream" fiction. I also recall many, many people posting reviews and readings online whose main goal was highlighting the writing they didn't care for, which seemed to me to constitute a notable percentage of its sales.

For the OP to understand its popularity, though, I expect they would also have to read the Twilight series.

And to understand that, one would probably do well to study the evolution of the literary vampire (from Anne Rice backwards) and the paranormal romance genre, particularly the YA end.
 

AR_Kingston

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Ambrosia - Apologies if I came across as violating the RYFW rule. I was recalling reviews that discussed the sex content, specifically its portrayal of BDSM, which came across as the major selling point, considered envelope-pushing for "mainstream" fiction. I also recall many, many people posting reviews and readings online whose main goal was highlighting the writing they didn't care for, which seemed to me to constitute a notable percentage of its sales.

For the OP to understand its popularity, though, I expect they would also have to read the Twilight series.

And to understand that, one would probably do well to study the evolution of the literary vampire (from Anne Rice backwards) and the paranormal romance genre, particularly the YA end.

I don't know, I liked 50 Shades, but I hated Twilight. Mostly because I don't like my vampires to sparkle like glitter fairies in the sun...but to each their own I guess. I do love Anne Rice though. So I suppose that just goes to show how subjective the world of books can be.
 

Brightdreamer

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I don't know, I liked 50 Shades, but I hated Twilight. Mostly because I don't like my vampires to sparkle like glitter fairies in the sun...but to each their own I guess. I do love Anne Rice though. So I suppose that just goes to show how subjective the world of books can be.

The origins of of the 50 Shades trilogy were tied closely with the Twilight fan community, and there's a rather similar dynamic. To understand one, it would likely be useful to understand the other. And both were likely lightning-in-a-bottle, right place/right time hits to a degree.

Oh, and the Anne Rice tie-in - many considered the "sparkling" vampires of Twilight to be descendants (in a literary sense, not an actual or literal sense) of Anne Rice's vampires. So stories build upon stories, back down to the roots.
 
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