To read or not to read similar works before write my own?

This is a difficult question to answer, as, in my opinion, this is largely a matter of opinion. The short answer is to do both and see what works best for you.

posted almost 7 years ago

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System‭

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First Hand Knowledge

One main reason to read in the genre you want to write something - say young adults - is because you want to understand through direct knowledge what it is about that style that readers like, hence I would read the most popular. This has multiple benefits:

• You get to find out where they can be improved. What is missing? Why do you think that could add more details
• You get to find out what makes them great. What do fans like about the story? What do they think makes these the best of the genre?
• At the worse case, you will find that you hate the genre.

I know some people are worried about polluting their ideas, but if you can answer two main questions: - How is my product different than some of the bigger names in the biz? - How is my product similar to some of the products in the biz?

I take as an example Digimon, which was pitched as a TV series rivaling Pokemon in the early 2000s. When the exec asked how it was different from Pokemon, the answer was It's exactly the same thing, but our stuff is in a computer world

I have no interest in writing young adult, my thing is Historical Fiction. By reading multiple authors with successful books, I have gained a few dos/don'ts and my own understanding of where they did not go far enough and when they become too specific. Chances are, if you enjoy a style and you read some, then you partake of something you enjoy...

posted almost 7 years ago

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JP Chapleau‭

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The approach I have taken is to be aware of that possibility - of becoming contaminated. I would argue -

1. You want to be contaminated by good style.

2. You want to write your own ideas in your own voice.

3. You want to tell your story.

So - write your story. Read similar books alongside your effort, and maintain awareness of the effect of one activity on the other.

You will hopefully find that you can read good stories and see 'how' the author achieves a certain effect. For example, the simple sentence:

He remembered hiding in a cupboard as a child, every time his father was drunk

^^^ placed in the middle of an adult campaign of one sort or another - effectively communicates a wealth of information and emotion. This is a tool that one can learn from reading other authors.

It hadn't occurred to me to use a simple one-line memory like this in the middle of narrative about something else. Seeing it, and reading it as a writer, and recognizing the effect of that sentence on me as a reader, gives me a new tool.

That's the sort of thing you want from reading books. Not ideas, but ways to effectively communicate your ideas.

posted almost 7 years ago

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DPT‭

660 reputation 40 73 114 0

In my experience: absolutely.

Back in 2016 I started writing (very slowly) an anime-inspired romantic dramedy about a 30-year-old NEET whose life has fallen apart. A few months ago I was alerted to the existence of Net-juu no Susume, a romcom anime about a 30-year-old NEET whose life has fallen apart. I marathonned it over the course of about a week, and I must say I enjoyed it, but I also did two things that I recommend you do as well:

1. Look for differences. Reassure yourself that while your idea may be similar, it's different enough that it can stand on its own two feet and not be accused of being a rip-off. If you can't reassure yourself of this, then you may need to do some re-drafting.
2. Look for weaknesses. What does the story do badly that you can improve on in your own work? For me, I felt that Net-juu no Susume's romance plot was cliché and predictable, bordering on contrived at times, and that it could have delved deeper into the MC's past and how she ended up like she did. If you think a story is similar to yours, then use it as a target and try and better it.

posted almost 7 years ago

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F1Krazy‭

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If you feel that it will get harder to write if you read another similar book, then what I'd suggest would be to plan your story, then read similar books, or finish your story then read books to improve your language. Just try not to be stressed. ;)

posted almost 7 years ago

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Sweet_Cherry‭

30 reputation 6 13 4 0

Personally, I would write a great deal before I ever read somebody else's work, specifically to ensure that what I write is NOT derivative or copied from somebody else.

I do not mean to finish a novel. I mean try to get the ideas you think are original in a file. If you have ideas of a plot, ideas for devices, ideas for characters, ideas for a setting, whatever it is.

Do that until you are exhausted. Not necessarily physically exhausted, just you find yourself with no new ideas. Or your only new ideas are tweaks to existing ideas, so you are circling the same camp again and again. When that happens, quit that, and then go read some books that might be similar.

There is no risk of contaminating your mind, you emptied that into a file, your original ideas are intact. But are you just going to rehash good stuff that has already been written about?

If your heroes, villains, story [plot] and setting and imaginary tech are all "more of the same" then maybe you want to proceed, or use it as impetus to come up with something more inspired. Or use it as an excuse to not try, you don't want to spend a few years writing and hear "This looks like a second-rate rip-off of Battlestar Galactica" or something like that.

posted almost 7 years ago

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Amadeus‭

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