Journey with Gillian: Reading as a Writer

Gillian Adams blogs over at Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant where she writes about anything relating to books, fantasy, villains, and costumes. Her book Out of Darkness Rising will be published fall 2013. She loves interacting with other writers and readers on her blog or facebook page.

The number one writing tip most authors will give you is to first, write a lot, and second, read a lot.

It sounds somewhat obvious, but it’s very true. Though I’m afraid I take the second one far too literally.

I go to the library frequently, because—let’s be frank—as much as I try to support authors by buying their books, I have yet to discover a secret pirate treasure buried in my backyard. (Though I have looked!) And my “help a starving bookworm fund” never took off like I anticipated.

So, each time I go to the library, I stagger out with a stack of at least ten books tucked under my chin. And that’s in addition to the books I do buy or get free for reviewing.

Needless to say, I read a lot.

When I started studying the writing craft, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy books anymore. But I found that it’s just the opposite.

Sure I may notice more of the imperfections, and now I can actually pinpoint why I don’t particularly like a certain book, but as a writer, I can appreciate books on a much deeper level than I could before.

I understand the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into crafting a novel. I know what it's like to write a three or four hundred page book. I understand the writing process, so I can be more patient when I have to wait a year for the next book in the series. (Um, so that might be stretching the truth a bit.)

But most of all, I can learn from all the incredible writers who’ve gone before me. And sometimes, even learn from the mistakes they've made as well.

When I read, I try to keep a notebook handy to keep track of the things I love about the story. Whether it is the author’s writing style, character development, voice, or just the way the plot keeps me guessing, I’ll take note of it so I know what I want to emulate in my novels.

Not exactly imitate, since I do want to maintain my own distinct voice and style, of course. But there's nothing wrong with intentionally honing my craft through learning from other authors' strengths and weaknesses. It's the best way to learn.

Here are just a couple of the novels I've taken notes from in the past:

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

I love his humorous, simplistic style. Where else can you read about “the Nameless Evil (named Gnag)” and the “Fangs of Dang.” The themes of his novels aren’t lightweight, though. And his novels aren’t afraid to wander through the darkest caves, yet the light is never absent.

 The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

I just read this one, so it’s a new favorite! Ellie’s voice is so clear and unique and witty. And somehow Stephanie managed to make me root for both guys at once … which was a first for me. I still don’t know how she did that.

The Mistborn Trilogy and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson is an expert at crafting complex fantasy worlds and plots that are deep and full of surprises. He is also great at keeping you completely in the character’s head so that you’re often just as confused as they are about what’s really going on—it makes the story that much more real and exciting!

Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Beautiful writing—I think that’s the first thing that struck me when I opened Starflower and started reading. Other than that, Anne Elisabeth Stengl is quite adept at penning unique dialogue from the POV of otherworldly creatures and nonhuman narrators.

The New Recruit, by Jill Williamson

If you’ve read this, then you know that Spencer’s voice is awesome. He sounds so real. Like you could just bump into him one day at school. Also, Jill is an expert at crafting novels that keep my attention glued to the page.

With each element that I note, I try to figure out the principle behind it and apply that principle to my writing in a unique way. So, although I enjoyed Spencer's voice in The New Recruit, I'm not going to try and write a Spencer-esque character in my next novel. I may however, experiment with ways to create a character with a voice as clear and realistic as Spencer's.

Likewise, I love the way Brandon Sanderson constructs such elaborate fantasy worlds that the reader becomes wholly immersed in the culture, setting, and mindset of the characters. But rather than trying to create Sanderson-esque (or Tolkien-esque) fantasy worlds, I hope to figure out unique ways to deepen my own fantasy world until it is just as real and believable as Sanderson's.

Of course, you can learn from poorly written books, too. Whenever I have a hard time getting into a novel, or even when I discover a difficult passage in a novel I really like, I try to dissect it and indentify what it was that distracted me from the story and caused my attention to wander.

It’s a great way to learn what not to do. And sometimes learning what not to do is just as helpful as learning what you should do.

What are some books/authors you’ve learned from in the past? (The lovely Gillian Adams is out of town, but Jill and I are excited to chat with you all about great books!)