Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.
Optional Monthly Question: Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
I’ve talked to many writers who don’t believe it’s important to read, and to that I say, WHAT! To each his own, I guess. I get the idea of not reading a lot while you are actively working on a story so that you aren’t overly influenced by what you read, but for me, a writer should also be a reader- no quota or nothing, just read something at some point that you didn’t write.
But, to answer the question being asked, I feel like I’m a more flexible reader than many other writers. I think sometimes we writers can be too harsh. Still, that’s not to say that writers shouldn’t be a little critical of their peers. For me, every reading experience is a learning one. I can learn what I’d like to be better at and what I hope I’m not doing or plan to stop doing immediately. With that said, the few reading pet peeves that make me want to put a book down are as follows:
-Too much profanity.
-Really bad grammar, not a few typos or misplaced commas, but grammar so bad I can’t figure out what’s happening.
-Gratuitous sex. I like a little steam as much as the average adult, but I do also need a reasonable plot.
-Too much snark. I like a laugh but again, plot. I need this to all be going somewhere not just endless jokes.
-Too many unnecessary descriptions.
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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS
Our book club is changing things up!
We will have quarterly book selections now, giving us more time to read. We will also have one fiction book selection and one writing craft book selection. Members can read both or choose between them. Finally, we won’t be offering 5 optional discussion questions anymore. Instead, we will be utilizing the polls that our members enjoy, so there will be one poll question for the fiction book and one for the non-fiction book on Discussion Day.
Our December/January/February reads are…
Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, a book written in second person. Since many readers haven’t read a book in second person, and many writers haven’t written in second person, we figured this is a great chance to explore something new.
Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters by J Lenni Dorner. This will be our writing craft book, with a focus on settings.
Discussion Day for both books will be February 24, 2021!
Now, on to the personal updates.
So, my husband and I just bought a house. The whole experience was horrible, stressful, and painful, but at least it’s over. I’m so happy on so many levels.
View this post on Instagram
I just launched a Patreon page because I have a few people who expressed an interest in the idea but then none of them supported it when I launched it on the first. Still, I love the idea and will continue to work at convincing those people that using Patreon is no different from shopping at Amazon. We’ll see how it goes.
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Is reading as a writer more or less fun for you?
What are your reading pet peeves?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will stop by your blog.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Ronel Janse van Vuuren,
J Lenni Dorner,
Gwen Gardner,
Sandra Cox, and
Louise – Fundy Blue!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #37).
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
23 replies on “#IWSG January 2021: Reading As A Writer”
Hi and Happy New Year!
Congratulations! I’m sure you are going to enjoy your home once you get everything like you want it.
All the best for 2021.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Oh yes, Pat. I’m so blessed and now that we own it, I’m in no hurry. I know we have time to make it the home we’ve always wanted.
Great post! Can you share the link to your Patreon please? I searched a couple titles and couldn’t locate it. Thanks!
Thank you, Tammy. I added a link in the post (didn’t think of including that), but here it is too: https://patreon.com/ToiThomas.
Congratulations on the house! Yes, it can be painful.
Too much description kills me.
Thank, Alex. It’s over, we got it. Amen!
Congrats on the new house!! So exciting!
I don’t understand people who write but don’t read either. Reading has always been my joy & my solace. Can’t imagine trying to write without being filled with the love of story
Thank you, Jemi. I’m so happy.
I can’t imagine not reading.
Happy 2021! Congratulations on your new house!
I can’t imagine not reading. It’s part of my life, like oxygen!
Oh, and post today is over here: https://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/
Someday, I will get my wordpress mess sorted.
Thanks, Tyrean. Reading is so part of my life and now I have a house too. Yay! I’ll be sure to visit you at blogger today.
Congrats on the new house. Stressful, indeed. But now enjoy your new home.
Thank you, Diane. The new house is cause me to respond slow but it’s all good.
Too much profanity gets you axed from a DLP submission, too. If it’s a really good story and the language is either really mild or just a couple words that can be made mild, I’ll read it though.
Yeah, I get that sometimes certain characters might use profanity in certain situations, but if every character is cursing so much that I wish I was reading bleeps, it’s just too much.
Congrats on the new house!
Most things don’t bother me in books, but I do find big chunks of description rather boring. Just get to the story!
I actually like a good description to help set the mood but sometimes the description takes over and I forget what I was reading and why I cared. If a writer takes the time to explain that an apple is green instead of red, it better be important to the overall story or character, otherwise I’ll never get those seconds of my life back.
Thanks for mentioning my book, which is one of the book club selections right now.
I agree that, as a writer, anything read is a learning opportunity. Knowing what you don’t like is just as valuable as knowing what you do. It can keep you from making the same mistakes in your own work.
I hope your New Year is going well. I only read and reviewed 23 books last year, but my goal for this year is 30. My other goals are to publish another fiction book in 2021, do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April, and increase the number of authors helped by Operation Awesome.
Yay on the new home. It is a stressful thing to do, but now you can settle in.
And I’m with you: every writer should read.
Congratulations on the new house! Patreon is a platform I’ve been meaning to explore and you just reminded me. Thank you and here’s wishing you a happy New Year.
Thank you Toi for your IWSG post and updates on the Book Club. Both books look very interesting. Hoping I’ll be able to join in. Wishing you a happy, warm, safe and creative 2021.
Congratulations on the new house!!!
I agree that writers should read. Something. At some point. And, yeah, writers can be harsher as readers. I sometimes find it hard to read and to silence my inner editor. If my inner editor sees a lot, it’s really hard for me to enjoy the story, but I try to let that go because what I see many others wouldn’t.
Hope you’ve been having a great 2021 so far, Toi! I said this in response to your comment on my blog, but just in case you don’t see it, thanks so much for your lovely review of the If I Die Before I Wake anthology. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
And I’m very grateful my own profanity hasn’t seemed to have turned you off. But, in all fairness, I blame Jackson. 🙂
Your characters use profanity to emphasize points and better express themselves along with basic communications skills. What I’m talking about is writing that feels forced. A character doesn’t come off as more cool, dangerous, or serious just because he/she curses a lot.