A few years ago, I was really struggling with something. Like so many other writers, I love to read but I found it really difficult to pick up a book while I was writing a novel.
Some people have no problem with this (and I’m not jealous…at all…honest…) but I couldn’t get to grips with it.
Over the last few years, as I’ve been working on my first novel, Reality Check, which is a sci-fi novel, I’ve found that I can’t read science fiction books.
The same has been true when I’ve been focused on short stories in fantasy – I have to find other genres to read during those times.
Why is this even a problem?
As I said above, for some people, it’s not an issue. I salute all of you!
I’d love to be able to read anything I wanted when I wanted (and yes, I know I can), but the reality is doing so will hinder my writing. Any writers reading this know how easily a story can be derailed. How quickly you can lose the flow of a piece. How fast your motivation can just…vanish.
In some cases, I find the concepts presented in different stories overwhelming and I find them starting to blur into my WIP. That’s disastrous in every sense, as the story I want to tell is being diluted by ideas not my own and convoluting the project.
You can argue that most ideas are inspired by, recycled from or influenced by something, someone, else – and I’d agree – but after going through the planning stages, I’m ready to bring my vision to life. I’m not against changes, but I need to plan those changes and how they’ll affect the story, characters and settings I’m working with.
So, I needed a solution. My ‘to be read’ pile is massive and gets bigger by the week. I’m not alone in this, I’m sure, but to keep tackling it and discovering the gems out there, I need to do some forward planning.
Switching genres
The easiest thing for me to do was switch genres. If I’m writing sci-fi (as I am at this moment) then I’ll read the plethora of fantasy books waiting to be cracked open. When I get to work on a fantasy project, I’ll catch up on the sci-fi books I’ve missed during that time.
Simple, right?
Mostly. You see, this works well for standalone books but what about a trilogy or series. They might take me longer to read than the book does to write, and if I finish those, I must find more books (not that I’ll complain about buying new books!) until things match up. That can get costly.
In between drafts and edits, I take a break to distance myself from the novel or story I’m working on, which is the perfect time to catch up on a book or two in the genre I just couldn’t read – but if I’m in the middle of a trilogy or series, do I want to stop for something else?
This is where it gets messy.
Given how long a single book has taken me so far, with work and travel slowing me down, it’s been less of an issue. However, now that I’m getting into a process and cycle with writing and editing, I’m going to have to think a lot more carefully about what I’m reading, when I’m reading it and what comes next.
While it’s tricky, it will help keep me focused, my ideas coherent and, hopefully, last-minute rewrites because of random ideas to a minimum.
What about other media?
It took some trial and error, but I discovered I can watch films and TV shows in the same genre I’m writing, but not the same subgenre. If I’m going for a space opera, that means no Star Trek, for example.
Prior to starting a novel, books, TV, Film and more are included in my research, where I look for themes, conflicts, settings, ideas and refine what I want to do, and once I’m away from working on that story for a while, I can go back to them.
Games are a bit different again. I get less time to play computer games than I’d like, and so I can be playing a game of any genre as I’m more invested in the playing/doing rather than absorbing anything else. True, my subconscious is probably still ticking away but it’s not had any big effects on my processes so far – that I’ve noticed.
Strange how that medium is fine, but others aren’t, eh?
Do you have a similar issue balancing your genres for reading or watching a story when you’re writing one? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments below.
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