OSCAR H. WHITE

Writers: What Books Should You Be Reading? 

I am hoping that this blog post will be helpful for writers and readers! I wanted to take a moment to discuss how I choose which books to read. For a lot of people the process for picking out their next book is quite simple and could include: going to the best-sellers list in the book store or reading every book by one author or perhaps by joining a book club!

These are all great ways for starting or continuing the great habit of reading, but what this post will talk about more specifically is how/where writers could look for their next novel. A Lecture Professor from the 1940’s would tell require you to start with the classics and stay away from that radical Avant Garde mumbo-jumbo… but that is not how students tend to learn, especially creatives. You should be open to new forms and learn from others’ experimental writing! For me, the answer to the question ^above^ is a careful consideration of these three things: Genre, Mimicry and the Willingness to read outside my comfort zone.

The first thing any writer should do is consider Genre. More specifically, think about what you like to read. You should ask yourself these questions: (1) What Genre am I hoping to write? (2) Does that Genre match what I have read? If so, (3) what Authors in that genre have I enjoyed?

These questions may seem fairly simple, but try to evaluate yourself through several lenses in order to really gauge your interests. Do you like Humor? Do you play D&D on the weekends? Do you find yourself reading YA more often than literary fiction? Do you enjoy writing in a journal? What Television do you watch?  Please know that you are not limited to one genre! Also, you may start writing Romance and realize you are a Horror writer instead… happens to all of us…

Once you have a Genre you would like to write, start reading! 

When I realized Historical Fiction was the genre I wanted to explore, I sought out several books that would serve as solid starting points. You may find yourself in a similar situation. Perhaps you have a topic you want to write about and there is a genre/sub-genre of literature that lends itself to your story quite well! For Example: I found many different sub-genres of Historical Fiction that fit my specifications such as Western Lit, Americana, Philosophical Lit, Gothic, etc.

There are a lot of ways that you can find books in specific genres. Some tactics include: Book Review Sources (Vloggers/Bloggers, Kirkus Reviews, Social Media, GoodReads, etc.), Recommendations from Peers/Authors,  Publishing Houses, Local Book Stores… or perhaps even… the Public Library…

[My Go-To Publisher right now is New York Review Books (NYRB) Classics. It is a great selection of literature from all over the world. All the translated texts are sensational and an incredible introduction comes with every book… Click HERE for the site!]

There is a story and a storyteller… 

Just like with genre, where you consider what you like to read, you must also consider who you like to read. In other words, how the story is told is just as important as what the story is about.

As a writer, you learn by reading other authors and taking note of their writing styles. When you read a lot of a certain author, you begin to Mimic their techniques in prose. These influences are extremely important and could have nothing to do with the genre that you are writing in. For example, you may love McCarthy’s Dialogue or King’s Character Development, but you write science fiction! Genre shouldn’t matter…

[An exception would be if the genre you wish to write has certain stylistic tropes]

There are several ways you can find books using this tactic. The first is self-explanatory… just pick books up off the shelf and read them… However, I challenge you to read as a writer… (Think about how the author uses syntax, grammar, dialogue, metaphor, pacing, etc.) The other way is to start writing/work-shopping and listen to your peers when they say “hey, you write like so-and-so” or “You would really enjoy reading this author“… Letting other readers know what you are interested in and what authors you like will lead to several recommendations.

This is a great transition into my last point which is: have Willingness. Be open to reading new and unusual prose. Branch out and read Fantasy or Mystery! Better yet, try creative non-fiction, poetry or flash! This “willingness” is a muscle that needs to be worked out and trained. I know it is not easy to break away from your tried and tested traditions! Old habits die hard… but try new things, listen to your peers and understand that not every book that you pick up will change the way you write.

I hope this helps some new writers and their reading lists! If you are an experienced writer than you may have your own methods. If so, I’d love to hear what you do to find that next book. Where do you find influence? Who do you talk to for help? Let me know!