The dangers of reading

[SPoots]

Have been finding that what I'm reading at any given time has a real impact on the voice of the story I'm writing at the same time.

Case in point, I started a story while reading The Good People by Hannah Kent - story starts off dark and dramatic with a claustrophobic feel...

Start reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
"How did all this witty banter wind up in my story?"

Do you all experience this? How do you keep on top of it?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Yeah, I have that problem sometimes, too. Mostly when I'm reading something very voicey, like Douglas Adams.

It can be used to advantage, though, if you're aiming for a particular tone in something.

 

[zmunkz]

Yes, definitely. Fresh off a read, I swing way too far towards the voice I was just reading. That, or I'm paralyzed by a total lack of confidence when I stupidly compare my own work to whatever I just read. In this case: Oathbringer.

 

[Ihe]

Mostly when I'm reading something very voicey, like Douglas Adams.

Oh yesss, Douglas Adams was the bane of my writerly existence for several months after finishing Hitchhiker's Guide. That particular voice permeated not only writing, but also thought. I would catch myself making inner observations like an Adams dialogue. For a brief time I considered myself the wittiest, driest, most absurd genius this side of the world.

 

[Toby Frost]

Yes, me too. This is basically why I've never read Douglas Adams' books, although people constantly tell me to: as a writer of comedy, I'd be worried by his style influencing mine too much.

 

[Mouse]

No. Wish I did though, could do with some Neil Gaiman rubbing off on me*.


*That sounds gross, but you know what I mean.

 

[Steve Harrison]

It takes me so long to write a novel, I will probably read a dozen or more books (different genres and non fiction) during the process, so I hope they don't impact the voice I'm employing for my book, otherwise it will be a dog's breakfast. On the other hand, I can use that as the excuse...

 

[Ihe]

No. Wish I did though, could do with some Neil Gaiman rubbing off on me*.
*That sounds gross, but you know what I mean.

Whaddaya mean gross? Neil is a sexy, sexy beast.

 

[The Big Peat]

Yeah, I have that problem sometimes, too. Mostly when I'm reading something very voicey, like Douglas Adams.

It can be used to advantage, though, if you're aiming for a particular tone in something.

I sometimes do this.

 

[SPoots]

Yes, definitely. Fresh off a read, I swing way too far towards the voice I was just reading. That, or I'm paralyzed by a total lack of confidence when I stupidly compare my own work to whatever I just read. In this case: Oathbringer.

My dad once said something very helpful to me when I was just starting out writing and was busy lamenting how crap I felt when I looked at my work next to Terry Pratchett's.

"You're building mole hills next to mountains. Do you think they started off as mountains?" Then he handed me a copy of Strata to read.

 

[EJDeBrun]

I find that this happens to me, but I also find that it helps my thinking process, so when I'm stuck in something, I'll hunt out something similar I read before and see how they solved the problem. This doesn't mean I copy it, per say, but I find doing that helps widen my perspective and I can see solutions I missed before.

 

[night_wrtr]

I find that this happens to me, but I also find that it helps my thinking process, so when I'm stuck in something, I'll hunt out something similar I read before and see how they solved the problem. This doesn't mean I copy it, per say, but I find doing that helps widen my perspective and I can see solutions I missed before.

Same here. This helps tons, especially trying to zero in on a specific tone for a scene.

 

[tinkerdan]

When I pick up a book; whether consciously or unconsciously, I begin assessing three things: style, tone and voice. And it seems to me that this might be what you are referring to that might steer you awry when trying to return to your writing. I think that these three might embody what some people think of as rhetorical elements in the sense that they are three elements that blend together to convince the reader to continue to read.

That much said: when I return to my own work I might have to read a number of pages to return to my own style, tone and voice. If I keep trying to insert new elements then I go back to the beginning and try to decide if there might be something missing in one of those elements that makes me want to veer off from my path. Look for what is weak.