: Re: To read or not to read similar works before write my own? I was thinking if is better or worst to read other works that share similar ideas to the story you want to write before you start

@Rivera824

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

You want to be contaminated by good style.
You want to write your own ideas in your own voice.
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.

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