Mibba's Thoughts: Write What You Read

Everyone who loves literature has certain reading and writing preferences -- but do those things always match up? Some people write the things that they read, while others read things on the opposite end of the spectrum of the things they write. In this week's edition of Mibba's Thoughts, Mibbians discuss the things they write and read.

I actually write more types of genres than I read. I'll write non-fiction research papers and essays for school, but by no means will I read those (unless I absolutely have to). I've written mysteries, but I cannot stand reading them. I've written sci-fi, but I very rarely will read it (unless it's a very celebrated book like House of the Scorpion or something). Then, I read more myth and folklore than I write, definitely. What more can be said on that subject? I don't like coming up with explanations for why the world is how it is. I don't like telling people what to think.

As far as genres and subject matter goes, I am kind of the opposite of what the original post suggests. If I start writing in a niche like steampunk/Victorian fantasy, then I will seek out more of these kinds of books to read for reference/intertextual reasons. . .especially if I've never written in that niche before.

- Narzisse Narcosis;

I don't read much, but when I do, it's either a fanfiction or something outside of Mibba. And it's normally non fiction or historical fiction. I read a lot of One Direction, Avenged Sevenfold, Asking Alexandria and Batman fanfiction, but I don't write Batman fanfics or plan on it. I'd say no, I don't write what I read for the most part.

- The Real Mitt Romney

I write almost everything (except for fanfics) and read nothing at all. I can't stand reading, and I totally disagree that you need to read all the time to be a good writer. I think I've read enough to know what I'm doing, and I learn through the exercise now.

- spacejunkie

I read a lot of dark fiction and fanfiction with violence and often rape, but I’ve never published a story like this. I read a lot of NC-17, but I’ve never written smut of any kind before. I try my hardest to write about the things that grip me and interest me, but it never really works. I can never finish something or get something to live up to my expectations when it’s supposed to be using all my favourite aspects of stories. You can probably find similarities in plot and writing style in all my stories, but I don’t think any of them are even really inspired by anything I’ve read. I have a frerard fanfiction up there, and I never read frerard. There is quite a lot of dark themes in my writing though, but not as dark as I like.

- Chaos Walking

I think I generally do write what I read. I often get inspired by other books, TV shows and films, and I would say that one of my favourite genres both to read and to write is dystopian fiction. When I find books that are similar to what I write, I get really excited. The exception, however, would probably be mystery/crime stories: I quite enjoy reading them, but I find it very hard to write them, simply because I can't imagine myself being able to write an outcome that is good enough for the story - I can build up a complex mystery, but I can't solve it.

The other exception is historical fiction: I often read it, but I rarely write it. Normally I write futuristic or fantasy stories because it means there are no constraints - a good historical fiction novel needs to be factually accurate, and there's no single period in history that I know enough about to be able to do that, and I wouldn't even know where to start when it came to research.

- amaranthine.

To join in on the conversation, visit the Do You Write What You Read? thread!

Special thanks to Fandango and Maddi; for editing!