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In another thread we were discussing whether or not it is necessary to read in the same genre as you write. As I do not read primarily in the genre I write (read mysteries and thrillers but write historicals) I started thinking about why that might be. My conclusion had more to do with the milieu or backdrop for the characters in a story. Humanity hasn't changed much over time. We've always loved and hated, schemed and feared etc. The only difference is where and when it happens.
For example, thieves in this day and age go to jail if they get caught, spend a few months or years imprisoned and then are released, likely to do it all over again. In less enlightened societies and in previous centuries a hand may be cut off or, depending on what was stolen, they may receive the death penalty. In the future they might be subjected to some kind of gene or chemical therapy that will alter their thinking so they aren't inclined to steal any more.
Although I enjoy reading someone else's take on how that plays out in the present day or in the future - how the thief thinks, feels and reacts to their sentence - I have a passion for the past and want to turn my creative mind to exploring that same character as they would think, feel and react to the sentence of a long past age. I like creating their world and imagining what it must have been like for them. I don't often have the same interest in learning how someone else has imagined the past but I am interested in how other writers deal with the present and future. It's kind of akin to my enjoyment of art. I love paintings, admire artists greatly, but I have no interest in trying my hand at it.
I think I'm in the minority so I'd be interested to learn why others are drawn to write in the genre they love to read.
For example, thieves in this day and age go to jail if they get caught, spend a few months or years imprisoned and then are released, likely to do it all over again. In less enlightened societies and in previous centuries a hand may be cut off or, depending on what was stolen, they may receive the death penalty. In the future they might be subjected to some kind of gene or chemical therapy that will alter their thinking so they aren't inclined to steal any more.
Although I enjoy reading someone else's take on how that plays out in the present day or in the future - how the thief thinks, feels and reacts to their sentence - I have a passion for the past and want to turn my creative mind to exploring that same character as they would think, feel and react to the sentence of a long past age. I like creating their world and imagining what it must have been like for them. I don't often have the same interest in learning how someone else has imagined the past but I am interested in how other writers deal with the present and future. It's kind of akin to my enjoyment of art. I love paintings, admire artists greatly, but I have no interest in trying my hand at it.
I think I'm in the minority so I'd be interested to learn why others are drawn to write in the genre they love to read.