Reading Outside Your Genre (Penny Rader)

Pssst. Wanna know how to improve your writing? Try reading outside your genre. Yup. It’s true. For a few reasons why, check out the post snippets below:

Breaking Your Mental Blockers (Nfoster)

“Read outside your genre or regular authors. Reading the same two authors every time you read because they're your favorites can get stale. You know their plot devices, you know their character stereotypes. You're not learning anything new as you read. I'm not saying you have to, but if you're going to be a writer, you need to experiment. New authors or different genres of reading can give you that highly-valued new perception I keep talking about. … As you read, you're broadening your horizons about who, what, where and why according to someone else. No one reacts the same way, so understanding other people's characters is infinitely valuable to your mental processes.”


Fundamentals of Fiction, Part II: "Read, Read, Read!" (Marg Gilks)

“Read novels and read short stories; read poetry. Poetry will tune your writer's ear to the rhythm of language, and make your writing beautiful. Novels and short stories each have their own technical requirements; studying overall story arc in a novel will teach you about plot and structure; the length restrictions imposed by short stories will both allow you to study technique in condensed form and teach you how such important aspects as characterization and setting can be conveyed to maximum effect in a minimum of space.”


If You Want to be a Good Writer, You Need to Read (John Harmon)

“…read outside your safety zone. You should read magazines and books you wouldn’t normally pick up for your own pleasure. Sound crazy? It’s not. It’s learning, it’s stretching your boundaries. You’d be surprised at how many unique ideas you can gain from reading unfamiliar material.”


Reading Outside Your Genre (Edmund Schubert)

“From the other genres you can pick up tropes and tricks. From non-fiction you can pick all sorts of useful nuggets you can use in future novels of your own.”


Ten Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice (Holly Lisle)

“Read fiction, read nonfiction, read in the genre you love, read outside of it. Read WAY outside of it. You cannot be a snob -- don't write off any genre or type of book as being without redeeming qualities or lessons to teach you.”

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So what do I read when I’m not reading romance?

• Harlen Coban – Fabulous openings and I’m always surprised by how the story turns out.



• Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series – Makes me laugh out loud. And I'm a huge Ranger fan. ;D



• Lisa Gardner – Twisty, turny thrillers with really scary serial killers.



• Kristin Hannah -- Her women's fiction stories, whether they are about relationships between sisters, mothers/daughters, or friends touch me, help me reconnect with myself. Few books make me cry. Firefly Lane did.



• Jodi Picoult – Intriguing characters. Usually a combination of law, medicine, and faith. Almost always surprised by how her books end (but not always pleasantly surprised). The ending of the last one I read p--, uh, made me furious.



• Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series – Lyrical and lovely. Her stories make me feel good and comforted and wishing I could write more like she does.



• Fairy tales and myths – For ready-made plots to twist and expand upon.



• Biographies and self-help books and all sorts of nonficton – To better understand why people do the things they do and find tidbits for stories.



• Writing exercises & prompts -- For inspiration, for courage, for when I have absolutely no idea what to write about.

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I’d love to hear who you read outside your genre and why.