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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/2173
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I would say 100% you should be well read in your genre. There are several reasons why, but the most important is because you should become familiar with conventions in your genre.

Why is this important? Because you know what readers are likely expecting when they read your book. By being familiar with what those are, you are able to know when you can and can't break those conventions. Just like any master craftsman who knows their trade inside out can start tampering with the basics to create something new, so too can a writer who knows their chosen genre.

Remember, too, that you are writing for an audience, not just yourself, and that audience will be well-read, and are going to have expectations when they buy your book based on the fact that it's "Science Fiction", or "Crime", or "Horror", or whatever.

Also, you mention genre blindness, and writing style, but this is a result of you only ever reading one genre, which is not the same as being widely read in that genre. Reading widely in different genres is, in my view, essential to the craft of writing because then you can cross-pollinate different ideas.

Being widely read in a genre means you know what's gone before, and that can only be a good thing. I understand you said that you shouldn't crush half-formed ideas, but there is nothing worse as a writer to come up with an idea that you think is interesting and unique, only to be told, "So-and-so did this in the classic book XYZ." By reading widely in your genre, you should be inspired to tweak your ideas, change them so that they're not the same as someone else, build on them. Ideas are never static, and you should never be so rigid in your ideas as to fall over at the first hurdle when you discover someone has done something similar. Don't be crushed, be inspired! Do it different.

Hope that helps.

Original score: 4