Do you think you have to read the genre you write in order to do so successfully? I write books for kids, but I don't really read a lot of books for kids. I'm curious what you guys think. Is it weird not to read a lot in the genre you write?
The thing about writing children's lit is that isn't a genre. It's a market. And you need to know your market. I can understand not reading much fantasy but then deciding you wanted to write one because you had a certain idea and just going for it.
The thing about writing children's lit is that isn't a genre. It's a market. And you need to know your market.
Yes. It's weird. If you don't like the genre, why would you write it? And if you do like the genre, then why aren't you reading it? Now, if this is a "do I have to read everything in this genre or category to write it" question then the answer is obviously no because that would be impossible, but if you're not drawn to books for kids as a reader then I would ask yourself why you want to write those kinds of stories.Do you think you have to read the genre you write in order to do so successfully? I write books for kids, but I don't really read a lot of books for kids. I'm curious what you guys think. Is it weird not to read a lot in the genre you write?
I think that one of the strongest demonstrations of why it's important to read in the genre you write comes from the books of well-known authors who decide to dabble in a different genre. It's sometime pretty clear whether or not they actually know anything about the genre.
For instance, P.D. James's Children of Men, and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Both are well-written books by accomplished writers; both fail as genre fiction (IMO, anyway). In James's case, it's her painfully unoriginal premise. In Ishiguro's case, it's poor world building by an author who seems to have believed that beautiful writing and a heartbreaking story relieved him of the responsibility to provide logical underpinnings for his dystopian society.
The thing to remember is that whether or not you read in the genre you choose to write, your readers read in that genre--and very likely will be well-read in that genre. If you don't know your genre from the inside out, you may wind up alienating your audience.
(BTW, I agree with Toothpaste that children's fiction is a market, not a genre. Still, if you don't know what's out there, it's harder to avoid doing something that's already been done. Plus, reading in your market enables you to keep track of trends.
I also think that if you don't love the market or genre you write in, you may not be able to do it justice. Also, why write what you don't love?)
- Victoria
Yeah, I have to agree with this. Not that my reading and writing interests are a perfect match (I *love* reading horror, but have no desire to write it) but I love reading all the genres I write. The genres I don't read I have good reasons for not reading and would never touch with a 10 foot pole as a writer.I don't try to write stuff in genres I don't read. I can't fathom why anybody would.
caw