Princess, a quarter horse, taught me the basics of how to ride and jump.
--Learning the craft of writing
Abe, the psychotic thoroughbred, taught me how to survive. Trust me, this pig-headed boy worked hard to get out of doing anything. He was the master of buck, spin and rear, and when I learned to sit through his shenanigans, he started mixing them up. I learned tenacity from him, sitting deep and riding as one with him. I lost count of the times he dumped my ass, but I'd get back on the damn horse and ride through it. Oh, yeah, he also caused a cervical ruptured disc, but that's another story.
--Dealing with rejection, red-lined critiques, terrible contest scores. Get knocked down, get back to writing! The only way to learn is to keep writing.
And then there was Buster, an appendix quarter horse, who was a lovely combination of the two. I bought Buster when he was two and green broke (willing to take a rider, but had zero steering or brakes). Over the years, Buster would get bored working in the arena so I would gallop him into the cleared woods, up and down hills, jumping into and out of the pond. Once a dog attacked us. At first, Buster was scared and wanted to bolt, but I kept facing him to the dog urging him forward. He got the idea and we played 'chase the mongrel' as his cow herding quarter horse genetics kicked in. BTW: the dog never bothered us again. Guess we were the only ones to chase it!
--Taught me perseverence. Everyone has an opinion, but the one that matters (pre-pubbed) is yours. It's your story--make it your own!
Now, how does all this relate to cross-genre reading?
Well, for one, a well-balanced and sane horse is cross-trained.
So, in my mind, a smart writer is always learning, especially when you pick up a book.
- Non-fiction and reference provides the info to ground your characters in a particular time or place.
- Reading romances will help you learn to delve into the emotions of the characters and how you can use them for or against your character's best interest.
- Mysteries will teach you how to plant clues, and pacing the information delivery.
- Fantasies can teach you how to weave an impossibility into a believable story.
- Children's books show how simple doesn't always mean dumber.
- I don't read literary or any non-fic--sorry, just don't like it--not my thang.
- Craft books are good up to a point as they provide many methods that have worked for others, but ultimately, you will have to figure out the system that works for your writing.
- Sorry, forgot this one, Classics--good for a grounding yourself in writing over the decades, but these books aren't what is being bought in the 21st century, so don't think the techniques exhibited will help you sell--they won't.
I'm certain that I've missed something obvious. But this is my list for today.
What do you read, and why?
Write on!
