: 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

In my experience: absolutely.

Back in 2016 I started writing (very slowly) an anime-inspired romantic dramedy about a 30-year-old NEET whose life has fallen apart. A few months ago I was alerted to the existence of Net-juu no Susume, a romcom anime about a 30-year-old NEET whose life has fallen apart. I marathonned it over the course of about a week, and I must say I enjoyed it, but I also did two things that I recommend you do as well:

Look for differences. Reassure yourself that while your idea may be similar, it's different enough that it can stand on its own two feet and not be accused of being a rip-off. If you can't reassure yourself of this, then you may need to do some re-drafting.
Look for weaknesses. What does the story do badly that you can improve on in your own work? For me, I felt that Net-juu no Susume's romance plot was clichÃ© and predictable, bordering on contrived at times, and that it could have delved deeper into the MC's past and how she ended up like she did. If you think a story is similar to yours, then use it as a target and try and better it.

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: Publishing fiction: when do I start looking for an agent? I am just about finished with the first draft of a novel I've been working on. I've been writing novels for about ten years and I've

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: In fiction writing, how can one make the passage of time seem shorter? More accurately, how can one write a story that spans across a good deal of time, but is not so much lengthy in its

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: Two suggestions: 1) Flag your intention as early as possible. Open your novel with a line like, "Some mysteries aren't meant be solved." 2) Be vague about the clues: what matters is how

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: You can work around the language barrier the same way we do in real life: have someone act as a translator. There are three ways of introducing such a character: Option 1: The moment the

: 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

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: Publishing fiction: when do I start looking for an agent? I am just about finished with the first draft of a novel I've been working on. I've been writing novels for about ten years and I've

: In fiction writing, how can one make the passage of time seem shorter? More accurately, how can one write a story that spans across a good deal of time, but is not so much lengthy in its

: Two suggestions: 1) Flag your intention as early as possible. Open your novel with a line like, "Some mysteries aren't meant be solved." 2) Be vague about the clues: what matters is how

: You can work around the language barrier the same way we do in real life: have someone act as a translator. There are three ways of introducing such a character: Option 1: The moment the

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