: Should I read fantasy novels for a better mindset on the topic? Lately I have been getting low on fantasy inspiration for a series I'm writing. I think this may be due to reading into realistic-genre

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No matter what genre you're writing in, if you're a writer you need to read.

Read until you start to read like a writer, until reading becomes your instruction and your classroom, and authors become your teachers. Pay attention to how they do what they do. Are you moved by a section? Pick it apart and see why it worked. Are you disappointed in a section? Pick that apart too. Why did it fail? (The answer to many questions on this board is "Read more.")

Sure, I can come up with story ideas on my own, but reading provides the inspiration to keep going and improve my work.

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Not necessarily. The danger is that you'll end up writing something derivative. Here are some different options:

Start a dream journal - some of the most evocative fantasy imagery comes originally from dreams, and your own dreams will be more original to you than inspiration from somewhere else.
Reimagine one of the realistic novels you've read in a fantasy context. This has been very successful for many writers --there's a whole sub-genre of fantasy detective noir.
Go back to the original source --folk and fairy tales from around the world. Again, this has been the inspiration for some of the most successful fantasy works.

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Perhaps your foray into more realistic writing is a desire for content that is more relevant to the real world. I see that as a clue that you want to take on more "real" (complex, sticky, difficult, moral, emotional) problems in your fantasy writing. I hope this helps.

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I would say it would depend on what exactly you wanted from your writing. If you want to create something very much within the confines of the fantasy genre and its tropes (or perhaps contrary to them) then it would make sense to keep reading similar things.

In my case, for example, I'm world building for a story which will be some sort of steam punk / fantasy something or other. But the inspiration for it is political power struggles and how society can regress into chaos. Which is a more historical and political issue, so though I will have strong fantasy elements, these exist to express power dynamics grounded in history. So in my case, I don't much care about other steampunk or fantasy works because that's not the point of mine. It makes more sense for me to read cold war history. But I don't know what is it that you want, and importantly what was the main inspiration and direction of your work.

Tolkien for example seemed inspired as much by myth and language as political events he lived through; the Lord of the Rings was clearly expressing his beliefs, which strongly related to his faith and politics. So at the very least it's good practice to try and read broadly and learn about lots of unrelated things which can inspire you. If you don't learn things and make new mental connections between new concepts you can't create new ideas. Watch a nature documentary, go to a gallery, go for a walk to somewhere you haven't been before. Have those new experiences and learn new things which can spark your creativity in unexpected ways.

Go back to whatever it is that first inspired you. If that's a fantasy story, re-read it. If it's a nature documentary, watch it again. Etc, etc, etc.

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Hope below will help you .

Write Your Thoughts.
Read Your Thoughts.
Ask your friends to read it & rate it.
Again Write the same thought in the way which can add weight to it.
And then analyse by your own.

BEST example every cricketer or musician look his own performance and analyse what addition he she want to do to make it fruitful .
&

if still is thoughts are void then may be you are made good for something else.

Best OF Luck !

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There's no doubt about it: yes. Not only can reading fantasy inspire you, but at the same time, it can also increase your understanding of the genre.

A good original story doesn't come easy for a writer. Just reading sometimes isn't really enough to get us inspired. Our mind doesn't really adapt to the whole situation just by reading, but by actually experiencing things. What I would suggest you do is take inspiration from your surroundings, go for a walk, go camping, watch movies, play video games, learn a new language, do things that you wouldn't normally do (but hurting others is not encouraged). You'll be surprised by how much inspiration the world can offer. Always have a recording device or a pen and notepad with you.

As you mentioned earlier that you read a lot of realistic-genre books, perhaps you could apply your inspiration to those stories that you've read and make them a fantasy? Just don't plagiarise others.

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