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That's a lot to get through, I'm not a super fast reader, and I find that writing and reading use the same kind of mental energy, so time I spend writing is time I don't spend reading and vice versa.
Does anyone else feel overwhelmed by the number of books they feel they ought to have read, or is it just me? If so, how do you deal with this? How would you prioritize the list above? Do other writers have strategies for planning what you read, or do you read whatever strikes you fancy at the moment?
I read whatever strikes my fancy. I do try to keep up with what's current but I'm not all that good with it. No reason to sweat it though, eventually I'll get to those books.
- The classics of my genre (science fiction and fantasy), especially those that are similar to what I'm writing.
- The latest books and stories in my genre, again especially those similar to my own work.
- The classics of literature generally.
- Non-fiction on a wide range of subjects, so I'll have material to put in my work.
Genre Classics: For this I can honestly just say only read the ones that interest you. I actually got started in Scifi by reading H.G. Wells' Time Machine, it was literally the first Science Fiction book I'd ever read and I was 8 years old when I first read it. This happens to be both a Science Fiction classic as well as considered a Steampunk classic. I've read LOTR and have a couple Asimov books I'm planning to read too.
Literature Classics: If you can make literature classics mash up with genre ones then you're golden. But really a classic is like any other book, if it doesn't interest you then don't force yourself to read it. I love reading the classic like Poe and Austen, but there are those that don't and I don't judge them for it. Well...I do when they claim all classics are boring, but no more than I judge snobs who read nothing but the classics or who refuse to read books younger than 50 years old.
Lastest Genre Work: For this I say pick 5-10 books from the last five to ten years and read them. Sure keeping up with your genre is all well and good, but if you read slow like you say and brainspace is shared with writing, then limiting how many books you read to the most interesting looking of the new(ish) stuff seems most likely to be helpful instead of just piling stuff on.
Non-Fiction: It is true that you really should read non-fiction in order to write fiction that speaks to people on a deeper level than just the surface. At least in my own mind. But this doesn't mean you need to read boring stuff. If you like history and mythology like me then you read books and articles about those things. I also enjoy science and nature, sometimes even current events. There's nothing to that says you can't tailor your non-fiction reading to the things you find interesting. For example, I'm starting to look into articles and books on swordsmithing. My brain wants to do a short story about an Gorgon swordsmith teaching their adopted human child to use the forge.
ETA: Switching completed!
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