When I decided to write a fantasy novel, I had read fantasy and I was familiar with the more popular series, but I was ignorant of the whole scope of the fantasy genre, which is huge, let me tell you. But the point is, I started doing research.
As a writer, what is research? First, I read books on fiction writing. I got all I could from the library. I did research on the internet and found suggestions for the top books on writing, and if the library didn’t have them, then I went on Amazon and got them. The ones from the library I really liked and wanted to keep, I went on Amazon and bought them, too.
Second, I started reading more and more fantasy. Game of Thrones wasn’t a huge TV show yet, so I read all of those before they became hugely popular. I read others, as well. Some I really enjoyed, others I didn’t as much. The goal with this research was to find authors and stories I enjoyed. With the books I didn’t care for, why did I not care for them? What was it about those stories or characters that didn’t connect with me? For those authors that I really liked, what was it about them that sucked me in?
Third, I read other books outside of the fantasy genre, books that were supposed to be good. Literary or sci fi or historical fiction, I read a wide gamut, from Water for Elephants to Star Wars pulp fiction. I also read a classic or two along the way.
The point is, before I wrote a word of The Living Stone, I read a lot. Over years. Like, a lot. And I went from reading simply for pleasure to reading with a purpose, reading critically. I still enjoyed what I was reading, but I was even more engaged as an author in what I was reading. I was intentional.
One of my next projects is writing a children’s book. But I’ve never written one. Guess what I’m doing – research. I’m reading books on how to write children’s books. I’m looking up lists on the internet of the best recent kids books. Then I get them from the library, and as an added bonus, I get to read them with my kids and see what they like and think about them, as well.
Full disclosure here – I am a voracious reader. I know very few people who consume books like I do. So to hold you to the same standard may not be fair. My wife is an incredibly intelligent person but does not read as fast as I do. It is not a sign of your ability or intelligence; some people read faster than others.
But if you want to be a writer, then you must read. A lot. I don’t know of any successful author that I’ve read about that DOESN’T stress the importance of being well read.
There are some great books that I’ve found and would recommend if you are getting started or are interested. That post will be next week 🙂
Peace.