Reading, Writing, or Living? That’s the topic for week 3 of the Marketing for Romance Authors 52 Week Blog Challenge. For me, it’s not about choosing from the three, but about understanding that all three are necessary to create a good story.
Living – If you’re not living, then you probably won’t have much to write about. To me, that doesn’t mean you have to travel worldwide or participate in extreme sports. Those experiences are great, if that’s what you enjoy, but they’re not the only ways to live. Observing the world around you, listening to people, and simply going about your daily routine help provide material for your story. Not everything needs to be exciting, but in general it’s important to make a story seem “real.” Even if you’re writing something “out there,” such as a science fiction or paranormal story, the little things in a particular setting or in a character’s personality are what bring the story to life.
Reading – Similar to living your life, reading exposes you to new ideas. Reading also helps you to learn about the kind of books you want (or don’t want) to write. It’s inspiring and an important way to learn about storytelling.
Writing – Unless you sit down and write, you’ll never finish a story. Some people find it helpful to set a daily word count goal. Other people like to work on a single story from start to finish, while others prefer to work on multiple stories at once. The only way to put your life experiences and your inspiration from reading to use is to set aside the time to work on your stories.
If you’d like to know how other authors feel about reading, writing, and living, be sure to visit the stops on the MFRA 52 Week Blog Challenge.
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Yup–gotta have all three. I can read craft books and take classes until the cows come home, but reading widely in my genre–and in others–is what gives me that bone-deep feeling for how romance stories work and what elements readers find satisfying. Good article!
I agree. Good writers read. A lot. And good writers understand the value in grounding their stories in elements of real life. That may require research. I once began reading a story about a woman who raised alpacas. Her method of harvesting the fleece was laughable, making it evident the author failed to do her research. I didn’t finish the book, because the author lost credibility with me.
I have to agree with what you’ve said about all three. Great post!
Exactly!
Sometimes I work on one story; other times it’s several. I just finished the 3rd story in a trilogy I began this time last year, and for whatever reason, the 3rd one grabbed me before I finished writing the 2nd. So that’s this coming week’s project, ha ha!
I keep track of my progress by posting my hourly word counts on either Twitter (if other author friends are doing the same….we call these ‘word wars’) or on Facebook.