It's been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don't enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?I didn't start out as a romance writer. Under my real name, I write dark speculative fiction. Writing romance is something that has intrigued me, though, so I wanted to give it a try. At first, I tried scifi romance, but that wasn't working out for me. I'm not really a scifi writer (even though I tend to have futuristic settings with advanced technology in my fantasy stories). So I figured, since I mainly write fantasy, why not go that route with my romance?
The thing is, since I've never written romance, and I don't often read it, I wasn't sure how to write it. I tried looking up articles on writing romance, but I found their advice to be too generic and didn't really fit my personality. If I'm going to attempt romance, I'm going to approach it like I did my dark fantasy stories. I'm going to try to be as unique as I can be and write the stories as I enjoy reading them.
Of course, I still needed to know what readers expect from fantasy and paranormal romance, so I did the next best thing. I've started reading some of the bestselling fantasy and paranormal romances on Amazon. I've been trying to stick with indie authors since they attract a different reader in most cases.
Reading these stories has given me a great insight into how I can write my own stories so that others would enjoy them, so I would have to say that being a reader is extremely important for writers and can definitely make you a better writer. You can still be original and unique in your writing and writing style, while learning the techniques that have worked for other writers.
What is IWSG?
It's a great way to connect with other writers!
The purpose of IWSG is to provide a way for writers to express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. On the first Wednesday of every month, you can post about your thoughts, doubts and fears, discuss your struggles and triumphs, and encourage other who are struggling.
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