You've probably heard that practice makes perfect, so you set about writing as much as you can as often as you can. While this is great (writing is a muscle that needs exercise), it likely isn't enough. So... what's next?
Reading!
Reading is not only a fun pastime; it's also an excellent way to develop your writing skills. Think about it this way: you want to be a published writer--whether that's stories, poetry, articles, or something else entirely. Books on store shelves, no matter how different in genre and style, have one major thing in common: they're published!
When it comes to reading, you can begin as micro or macro as you want.
Micro Reading
Perhaps a writer is determined to create the next great science fiction epic. They may want to start by reading up on science fiction novels. This is the micro level because the writer only focuses on their specific genre and target audience.
Micro is a fantastic way to learn the ins and outs of a genre you love but never looked at intensively. When reading science fiction, you may find some authors are incredible at describing alien species with brevity, and maybe that's what you want to master. Other authors may excel at weaving a complex story together, and you want to study their execution to give your story better cohesion. What's great about this "research" process of your writing journey is that the more books you read, the more you'll learn!
Macro Reading
However, I recommend pursuing both micro and macro studies as a writer. Let's continue with our science fiction author. The writer has just read a bunch of science fiction novels, and they are feeling great about how to introduce concepts to their target audience. They also know how to make an epic adventure easy to follow. What could a macro view of reading do for the writer?
The macro level is reading all types of literature, not just what pertains to your genre. Reading outside your genre can give you perspective on different tones, writing styles, and ideas you may want to incorporate into your work. Want a love triangle in this science fiction epic? There's an entire genre dedicated to romance. Want a character's voice to be filled with poetic prose? Authors like Tahereh Mafi and Haruki Murakami are absolute necessities.
So, now we know that reading isn't just a fun hobby, but a tool we can use to become better writers. How do we use this tool?
There's only one thing you have to do to use reading as a writer: ask yourself questions. It's simple, and you can get as much out of it as you're willing to put into it.
Read the classics and ask, "Why did this book survive in our minds when others didn't? What makes this one special?" If you want to write a novel, read short stories and ask, "How was the author able to convey the entire story in only a few pages? In what ways does the story move differently than chapters in a novel?" Read across genres and ask, "Even though this book isn't in my genre, what do I like about it?"
Like the example questions above, allowing yourself to stop and think about what you're reading will open many trains of thought. As someone who's always devoured mysteries, it wasn't until I sat down and critically read a few that I realized just how much goes into writing one.
Case Study: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
When deciding to try my hand at a YA mystery, the first thing I did was run to the bookstore (excitedly) to find a copy of the top YA mystery known to me at the time: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Using her novel, I performed a case study.
I noted all of the mentioned characters, no matter how small. I listed their relations to other characters in the story, drawing a web-like chart connecting them. I tracked the plot lines that stemmed away from the main story. I also tracked the evidence--when it was acquired and how it changed the story's trajectory. By the time I was finished the book, I had a clear picture of the dozens of minute things happening simultaneously to create a satisfying, compelling mystery. Reading not as a reader but as a writer, I found an entirely new appreciation for mysteries!
My case study revolved around what questions I was asking. I asked why each character is important. Why is character "X" in this story at all? If the character isn't the killer, why should he or she be here? What does this character add? What does this character make me feel? Do I like them? Did the author want me to like them?
I asked myself similar questions about the setting. Why does the story take place here? Does the setting add to the story? Why is this landmark/building/place in the story? What does this location mean, and what does it add? What makes this place a better location for the chapter than any other in the book?
About the plot, I asked things like how many plot lines are there? How many of these plot lines connect directly to the mystery, and how many are separate? What relationships are present? Why do these relationships/dynamics exist in the story? If I take this point out, does it change the story? If I remove this point, will the story still make sense? I also asked why each character, point, or piece of evidence is introduced in the order it's presented. Does changing the order change the story?
The last major thing I looked at was the writing style. What about the writing style is the same across this genre? What specific tropes are included, which are excluded, and which are reimagined? If these tropes were not in the novel, would it still work as a mystery?
I mention this because too many tropes make a story feel like every other of its kind; however, too few tropes might remove your work from the genre. Take, for example, a murder mystery. The main trope would be, "There's a murder, and the main character does not know who did it." If there is no murder, it can't be a murder mystery. If the main character has always known the killer, it's not quite a mystery. This trope can be reimagined if the main character knows who the killer is, but the question is why did they do it.
Beyond questions, I like to note whenever imagery catches me. For example, the novel Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi has beautiful prose. Each sentence holds weight and every word matters. While Shatter Me is far from a crime novel like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, by reading Shatter Me I found a new facet of writing style that inspires me to add more color to my writing. It's another reason why macro is so vital!
They say (and by "They" I'm referring to Jim Jarmusch) that no work is ever original, but it's how new creators add their own identity to a work that makes it different than its predecessor. As a writer, sometimes it can feel like every idea is taken. And trust me, the more you read, the more you will feel that way.
But fear not, dear writer, because it's not the what but the who that makes the writing original. The who is you, and the better you equip yourself for your writing adventures, the more you will be able to create in a way unique to you.
Case Study: The Jewel
Take The Jewel by Amy Ewing as an example. I love this book, and almost immediately upon reading it, I discovered that it reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In The Jewel, young girls are stripped of their lives by the government to deliver elite families children that they cannot bear on their own. The girls chosen for this have no rights, no choice, and are isolated from the rest of the world. This overlays almost perfectly with the plot of The Handmaid's Tale! The difference? Magic.
Yup, in The Jewel, it is not that these girls are the only ones who can have children--they are the only ones who can produce children using their magic to correct the genetic deformations that cause all elite children to die at childbirth. In The Jewel, the main character learns to hone magical abilities and yearns for freedom for herself and others. As this is YA, some themes are subdued, but the message remains. It's not necessarily the story that's new--it's the characters Amy Ewing creates and the details of magic she includes that make the novel something else entirely.
From this, you might say that Margaret Atwood had the original idea of The Handmaid's Tale, but she admits that her work pulls from Biblical stories of concubines bearing children for the families that owned them. Margaret Atwood did incredible work to make this idea modern and to include an end-of-the-world scenario to tie it all in, but the idea was not pulled from thin air. Every idea comes from somewhere, so don't get overwhelmed about how you will contribute something isolated from every other novel ever written. You don't have to, and it's okay not to.
This brings us back to the importance of reading: the more you read, the more exposure to ideas you'll get. Books are incredible sources of imagination and inspiration. Maybe you've always wanted to write a story about dragons, but upon reading a mermaid novel, you decide you want your dragons to be entirely aquatic--the idea is yours but you might not have found it without expanding your TBR to the other novels around you.
So, read! Read attentively and excitedly. While it's research, it shouldn't be a chore. If you despise the book you're reading, it's okay not to finish it. Just remember to ask yourself, "What don't I like about this book, and why?" Then, pick up and move on to another book until you find what captivates you, what moves you, and what makes you want to be a better writer.
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