Monday, January 23, 2006

Reading and writing

If there's one complaint I have about writing it's that I can't just read a book anymore. Now, when I read I find myself paying attention to the details instead of the story. I suppose it's good because it means I'm reading like a writer but damn, it's annoying. I'll read ten pages and be so absorbed in the dialogue and studying the style that I won't know who half the characters are. Then, after I finish the book I'll end up echoing the style in my own work somehow. This seems to be true whether I'm reading fiction or poetry and I'm not sure if this is something to be concerned about or not. I know the first best advice about writing is always to read everything you can get your hands on but when does that begin hurt your own writing style? It seems like sometimes I read books and the writer's voice and style are almost nonexistent, they're just following the same pattern, over and over again. Or I could just be crazy. It's always possible.

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