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Reading to learn writing styles?

Insolent Lad

Maester
I've certainly investigated the styles of writers in a particular genre I was thinking of tackling. Raymond Chandler, e.g. and others in the crime and mystery field--I am afraid my first foray into the genre copied the cliches of the hard-boiled detective just a little too much! I do attempt to read broadly and expose myself to other styles, and I've no doubt some of that has influenced me (at least superficially).
 

JBCrowson

Inkling
I recall in high school right after we studied Wuthering Heights writing an assignment using similar language and sentence structures. "You seem inebriated by the verbosity of your own loquaciousness" was the comment I got back, grade C- :(
 

Mad Swede

Auror
You should be aiming to write in your own style. Insolent Lad mentioned the styles of writers in the crime and mystery field, but if you read the best known authors closely (eg Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Mickey Spillane) you quickly realise that they all write in slightly different styles and have a tendency to emphasise different things about their characters and their settings. So yes, read widely, but write in your own style.
 

Incanus

Auror
Sort-of, kind-of. I read not only novels, but short stories, novellas, and poetry for this reason. Also non-fiction, and other genres.

But it's not for a direct influence on my style. I guess my style is an amalgam of all my favorites, but with my own themes and sensibilities.

I believe reading well-done works regularly is an all-around good practice for would-be writers. It keeps me aiming high. It's unfortunate there aren't very many great fantasy writers though.

I read poor stuff too sometimes--that can be a kind of motivation too: "They published this??? I have to get cracking..."
 

Karlin

Sage
In The Second Journey, I imitated the style of the Chinese Journey to the West, to some degree. When I read the Journey to the West, I did not have this in mind.
 

artsyChica

Dreamer
Does anyone else read others novels to learn new writing styles to use when writing your own works?
One thing that I started doing about a year ago was to read [and re-read stories that I've like] with what I think of as 'writer's eyes.' I've also created a folder in my Scrivener's story bible project where I keep notes on things that caught my attention, good and bad. How authors handled plot points, character arcs, etc.
 

dollyt8

Troubadour
Does anyone else read others novels to learn new writing styles to use when writing your own works?
I certainly read other novels to figure out what styles I like, but I don't think so much in terms of using those exact styles in my writing. For example, I would never try to write in "Harry Potter" style or "Mistborn" style. Rather I will cherrypick a little bit from different styles that I like (this one does action scenes really well, this one does descriptions really well, this one does character moments and dialogue really well, etc.) and analyze to figure out what I like and how to integrate similar concepts in my own works.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I think, like many here, I do look at, and 'study' the writing styles of others. Mostly I look for things that work and dont work, and if I can attribute it to style, all the better. But to copy it? Or make it my own....that is so hard. My own style just has some type of built in resistance to it.

I dont ever write with the thought of, I think I will try to emulate so and so's style. Sometimes I may write to avoid one though.
 

NoahGrey

Acolyte
I've been reading a lot of old fiction I've loved for years again while paying a lot more attention to sentence structures, description and how paragraphs flow. It made me feel really good to read one author (Robert Jordan) and find a sentence totally out of place for the paragraph. I never caught it before I was nitpicking everything but this time I did. It let me not worry so much about what I write. When an extremely successful author can make a mistake (or at least in my head it seemed like one) and still have it work in the story, then I guess it's not something huge I need to worry over.

I have been reading some GRRM (love it or hate it - especially the tv series) because he's successful and popular. I do respect and enjoy the vivid imagery he uses when describing his worlds, something I find lacking in mine at times. My first draft seems hellbent on telling the story, in sometimes ugly passive voice ways that I correct later.

But yes, reading others is a great way to learn how to improve your own writing.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
GRRM was the only time I felt a great sense of 'I am not worthy' while reading. The opening to game of thrones is hitting on all cylinders.

JK Rowling has many mistakes, but...success abounds.
 
Trying to emulate the writing of other authors is actually a pretty good writing excercise. Pick an author, read a few pages or chapters and try to write a chapter or a short story in his or her style. It teaches you plenty about writing. (*makes mental note, I should do this sometime...). Depending on the style of the author you picked, you might learn how to write very distinct characters, or swear, or describe trees, or use adjectives, or whatever else you fancy.

Other artists do this sort of thing all the time. It's a common excercise in art classes "paint like van Gogh or Dhali".
 

Fidel

Scribe
Does anyone else read others novels to learn new writing styles to use when writing your own works?
Reading other novels is like raiding a treasure chest of styles and techniques. It’s the perfect way to see what works, what doesn’t, and what we can steal (and make our own, of course).
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Write to learn how to write, heh heh.

Okay, more of an answer... I don't ever recall doing this. In fact, back in the day, I didn't read while writing because I started to sound like that other author.
 
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MudDobber

Dreamer
I am currently reading to inspire, which is something of the same as doing research on styles. Well maybe not, but I think it's equal parts inspiration and case study.
 

nava_dve

Acolyte
Not exactly.
Reading helps improve your vocabulary and you can learn different ways to express and structure your own writing. Borrowing from writers that inspire you is a great place to start. And you'll eventually develop your own unique voice.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I read for enjoyment. But the more I have been writing, the more I have been noticing certain techniques. For example, I'm reading Foreigner right now. There's a passage where she describes a ride into the countryside and she describes smells, sights, and sounds, each in a separate set of paragraphs. She works in the MC's reaction to these, puzzling over them and reacting to them, so that we also learn something about the alien civilization along with the setting itself. I noticed it because I thought it a good way to approach the challenge of including multiple senses in a descriptive passage.

Had she merely have done the sensory impressions, it would have been tedious. But she uses it as a way to expand on the MC and on the world itself. I noticed this. Maybe I'll use it, maybe not, and maybe it will inform my writing in some subconscious way. But as a way to "learn"?

Nah.
 

Dylan

Scribe
Reading to learn writing styles is a fantastic approach. By immersing yourself in different authors' works, you can pick up on various techniques, tones, and voices. It's like having a personal masterclass with every book you read. Plus, you get to enjoy some great stories along the way. Keep an eye out for what resonates with you and try to incorporate those elements into your own writing.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
I think it helps but it also makes you just want to correct there work if your after a story for learning i usually YouTube or fact books but doesn't help the creative elements I need.
 
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