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Reading and how it influenced your writing


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1 hour ago, BlindAmbition said:

Did you guys always like to read? Why do you read? What do you like to read? How does this influence your writing?

sometimes yes, sometimes no. i can not remember a time i did not read and i my memories start at 18 months. i read everything, books, magazines laying around, cans, signs--you get the idea. When the kindergarten teacher told us we would be learning to read in the 1st grade and showed us the book(Tip and Mittens) they'd use, i tossed it on her desk, saying "that's not a book". she asked "Why", and i primly told her "it has no plot".  i was 8 and got to read this book everyone should read and follow, so i figured i needed to read it. so i did. it was fine, a little heavy on the "begats" but ok, but i could not figure out how breaking a seal (the kind with a ball) could do anything but hurt the animal. due to circumstances and politics i was placed in remedial reading classes at the beginning of 5th grade. they tested shortly after the start of 5th grade they did school wide, reading level testing, surprise to them, not me i test out of the test at college level.  starting  at 9, i  have read LOTR and The Hobbit, every decade of my life, including reading it out loud to the carpool for work.

 

as for influencing my writing, reading everything just opens my mind and keeps it functioning. readings the only thing i have left to enjoy. well at least until my eyes fail again. 

 

thanks for asking jp, and thanks for reading

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6 hours ago, BlindAmbition said:

I was in 4th grade when I discovered my love for reading. My grammar school had a book club. I was a competitive child. While trying to win a bike, my life changed. 
I came from a generation where schools had book clubs and fairs to encourage reading. I found an escape into fantasy and intrigue. Opening my mind to knowledge and curiosity. 
The books I immediately was drawn too... Encyclopedia Brown, C.S. Lewis. 
Did you guys always like to read? Why do you read? What do you like to read? How does this influence your writing?

I've loved to read for as long as I can remember.  I devoured everything I could get my hands on when I was a kid.  I loved the Little House on the Prairie series.  I'd start with book one, then read the entire series and start over again.  I can't even begin to count how many times I did that.  I also loved the Hardy Boys books.  In fact, the first story I ever started writing was a mystery very heavily based on the Hardy Boys.  I think I was in fourth grade.  I loved the Black Stallion series and all of Marguerite Henry's books.  I read any young adult horse books I could get my hands on, along with any reference books related to horses.  I was a walking encyclopedia about horses well before I ever started riding. lol  Later I discovered fantasy novels, then read all the Piers Anthony, Tolkien, Donaldson, and Brooks I could get my hands on.  

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13 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

I've loved to read for as long as I can remember.  I devoured everything I could get my hands on when I was a kid.  I loved the Little House on the Prairie series.  I'd start with book one, then read the entire series and start over again.  I can't even begin to count how many times I did that.  I also loved the Hardy Boys books.  In fact, the first story I ever started writing was a mystery very heavily based on the Hardy Boys.  I think I was in fourth grade.  I loved the Black Stallion series and all of Marguerite Henry's books.  I read any young adult horse books I could get my hands on, along with any reference books related to horses.  I was a walking encyclopedia about horses well before I ever started riding. lol  Later I discovered fantasy novels, then read all the Piers Anthony, Tolkien, Donaldson, and Brooks I could get my hands on.  

You just made me laugh! I loved Little House series... hmm, maybe that was another clue that family never connected.

I think The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are the reason for love of Mystery genre.

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7 hours ago, BHopper2 said:

The only book series to date, I can not stand to read is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's God awful.

Thank God there is someone else out there that hated Lord of the Rings.  I've read more exciting textbooks.  

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1 hour ago, CassieQ said:

Thank God there is someone else out there that hated Lord of the Rings.  I've read more exciting textbooks.  

I literally have fallen asleep 10 pages into the first book, several times now. I have never read the books fully. I did the Hobbit because it was forced on us in school, as a group exercise (that and Lord of the Flies).

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1 minute ago, BHopper2 said:

I literally have fallen asleep 10 pages into the first book, several times now. I have never read the books fully. I did the Hobbit because it was forced on us in school, as a group exercise (that and Lord of the Flies).

Now now... I'll give you snooze moments in LOTR. However; Lord of the Flies is an awesome book.

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Just now, BlindAmbition said:

Now now... I'll give you snooze moments in LOTR. However; Lord of the Flies is an awesome book.

Yes it is. Sorry, I wasn't that clear. Lord of the Flies was a group read project. Loved the book, and both movies.

 

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I never really got into books until the year we moved house, just as the summer vacation started. I was thirteen years old and found myself totally alone in a new neighbourhood with no friends. Before school broke up our English teacher mentioned LOTR a huge book in three volumes. I clearly remember the challenge thrown out, "I don't expect any of you to read it during your vacation!" So I did. I bought the paperback, volume one, and would go out of the house and along to the local park, sit on the grass and read, and read, and read. I didn't finish all three volumes that summer, but I did disappear into another reality, and yes, it influenced me. From then on I read, I finished LOTR and found other books... that was where it all began. Then the more books I read the better my English became, until by the time we were studying Shakespeare I had a natural love affair with the English language.

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I really didn't like reading at all, for a long time.  I do have some memories of liking other people read to me when I was younger, but reading myself, not at all.  A LOT of life happened just after my teens, which was also (co-incidentally?  maybe not) also when I started to enjoy reading.  I still remember how amazed I was re-reading the Narnia books, and realising what fiction was really capable of,  until he got all religious towards the end there, but still.  Now, I read whatever takes my interest.  Currently it's Two Boys, At Swim, which is sort of beautiful in it's own way.  I'm not sure how what I read influences my writing, other than in the general sense that more reading can only really be a good thing for a writer.

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45 minutes ago, Sam Wyer said:

I really didn't like reading at all, for a long time.  I do have some memories of liking other people read to me when I was younger, but reading myself, not at all.  A LOT of life happened just after my teens, which was also (co-incidentally?  maybe not) also when I started to enjoy reading.  I still remember how amazed I was re-reading the Narnia books, and realising what fiction was really capable of,  until he got all religious towards the end there, but still.  Now, I read whatever takes my interest.  Currently it's Two Boys, At Swim, which is sort of beautiful in it's own way.  I'm not sure how what I read influences my writing, other than in the general sense that more reading can only really be a good thing for a writer.

I love hearing similar views, you sometimes wonder if it's you. To this day, The Narnia Chronicles is one of my favorite series. I also felt disappointed with religious direction. More so as I got older. I'm spiritual, but not religious. Topic for another day and forum.

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37 minutes ago, BlindAmbition said:

I love hearing similar views, you sometimes wonder if it's you. To this day, The Narnia Chronicles is one of my favorite series. I also felt disappointed with religious direction. More so as I got older. I'm spiritual, but not religious. Topic for another day and forum.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was read to me in primary school by our teacher when I was around eight or nine years old. It was a fantastic story at once adventurous and magical - the idea of discovering a secret doorway to another world is a universal theme. One I discovered through this book in an absolutely delightful way, that inspired the imagination, and is something which has stayed with me all my life.

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3 minutes ago, William King said:

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was read to me in primary school by our teacher when I was around eight or nine years old. It was a fantastic story at once adventurous and magical - the idea of discovering a secret doorway to another world is a universal theme. One I discovered through this book in an absolutely delightful way, that inspired the imagination, and is something which has stayed with me all my life.

I think that book held magic for many of us. Opened mind to imagination and possibility.

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For you fellow Narnites (I don't know what else to term it) have you read The Magicians by Lev Grossman?  It's a modern take which borrows heavily in paroncipe if not in tone.  Definitely not in tone, it's pretty dark.  I've seen people describing it as Harry Potter meets Narnia, but for grown-ups, but I think that completely misses the point.  There was a TV series of it that I didn't much like, the book(s) are better.

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1 hour ago, Sam Wyer said:

For you fellow Narnites (I don't know what else to term it) have you read The Magicians by Lev Grossman?  It's a modern take which borrows heavily in paroncipe if not in tone.  Definitely not in tone, it's pretty dark.  I've seen people describing it as Harry Potter meets Narnia, but for grown-ups, but I think that completely misses the point.  There was a TV series of it that I didn't much like, the book(s) are better.

Yes! Loved the books. Hated the series on TV. As usual, too much artistic license with show.

Edited by BlindAmbition
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13 hours ago, BlindAmbition said:

Yes! Loved the books. Hated the series on TV. As usual, too much artistic license with show.

 

Totally agree, the TV series seemed to totally miss both the point and the tone of the original writing.

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Virtual Hugs!!!

 

Back on the topic real quick. I've found that reading some EVE Lore, has helped me in my FanFic-get-over-mental-block story. It's allowing me to put more details into mine, where I'm not feeling cheesy, like Chester, for adding stuff or situations not seen in the game. Also, I applied as a volunteer to the Fiction Team for Eve. Here's to getting a "call back."

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5 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

Virtual Hugs!!!

 

Back on the topic real quick. I've found that reading some EVE Lore, has helped me in my FanFic-get-over-mental-block story. It's allowing me to put more details into mine, where I'm not feeling cheesy, like Chester, for adding stuff or situations not seen in the game. Also, I applied as a volunteer to the Fiction Team for Eve. Here's to getting a "call back."

good luck and stay safe!

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I loooooove to read. Anything, everything... except Huck Finn. I had to read that in my 4th grade reading group and hated it with a passion. As a little kid it was Aesop and Grimm, then historical stuff like Native American folklore, which lead to mythology, which lead to scifi... At the age of ten I tried romances and hated them and steered clear of them until my mid-twenties. I still won't read contemporary male/female romances (OMG, the tropes kill me!) but I will try just about anything else. A few of my favorites through my pre and early teen years: 

 

1. Little House on the Prairie: These were given to me by my grandmother, still in great condition since I cherished them carefully. This led to my love of writing a strong lead character. 

2. LoTR: 2 box sets. My original I got at 11 is literally taped together, but I have a movie set. This taught me about writing detailed works, but also about how you can have too much detail. 

3. Clan of the Cave Bear series--epic journey, imaginative world. But sometimes the pages of description feel like an author voice info dump and get repetitive. 

4. Outlander: Historical romance can be exciting and adventurous, and that men in skirts are HOT! 

5. Dune: Spice is Life. ;) Also, if the story is written too technically (books in the series post-Dune) then they don't come off nearly as well. Reading should be entertaining. 

 

So much more has influenced me as a writer, like the Mercy Thompson and Anita Blake books, as well as most Sean Michael MM romances: there is such a thing as too much sex. Out of the Darkness by Kate Sherwood & Keeping Promise Rock: If you make readers love the characters and cry, they will love the book. M.A. Church's The Harvest series: don't judge a book by the title because it might actually be massively awesome, and be careful how you title your manuscripts if you're a writer. Cari Z's Ten Simple Things for Surviving the Apocalypse: I like humor in books, the snarkier the better, but I can't really pull it off as a writer so I just follow my favorite authors who can instead.

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