Am I Learning as Much from Reading Fiction as from Reading Nonfiction?

Yes. I’m learning things that make me rethink my approach to my own work.

learning from reading fiction — *Photo by Matias North on Unsplash*

More than a year ago, I began a new habit. My morning routine changed from spending an hour or two online playing games on Facebook to reading.

I get out of bed, feed the cats, start the coffee – then sit down on the couch with a book or my Kindle and proceed to read. Generally, I read at least one chapter from a fiction book and one chapter from nonfiction.

Throughout 2021, I read over 40 books. Both the fiction and nonfiction I read come from a variety of authors and had many different ideas and approaches.

Most of the nonfiction I read tends to be about mindfulness practices, self-help, life lessons, and self-improvement. I also read some histories, classics of philosophy, science, and workflow and writing improvement ideas.

The fiction I read has been mostly sci-fi. Though I’ve also read some fantasy and other fiction works that are harder to classify (Paulo Coelho’s works, for example).

While I read the nonfiction that I do to improve my mind and learn new ways to approach life – to learn new things overall – reading fiction has also had an educational impact on my life.

This is especially relevant in helping me to improve my writing.

How do you approach storytelling and perspective?

Every writer has their own approach to storytelling.

And let’s face it – fiction writing is storytelling. We imagine these people, places, things, and situations – then share them. If we do it well – they come alive in ways beyond the story we’ve told.

Some of the stories spread to other media. Before you know it, you’re watching a movie or TV show based on or telling that story in another medium.

The point is that no two writers tell their stories in the same way.

This is good because it means you get lots of different perspectives. It also means the approach to storytelling varies – which will appeal differently to different audiences.

What am I getting at? Everything I read by another author informs my storytelling ability. I can compare how I approach characters, exposition, dialogue, and all the many nuances in the stories that I tell.

For example – my Void Incursion and Source Chronicles series are both told from many different perspectives. I choose to shift from character to character.

I’m not alone in this approach. George RR Martin tells the story in his Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series from the perspective of multiple characters. Robert Jordan does the same in his Wheel of Time series.

But then, for my Forgotten Fodder series, I only tell the story from two different perspectives. There are lots and lots of authors I could cite who also tell their stories from only 1 or two perspectives. Neil Gaiman, Paulo Coelho, Lindsay Buroker, and many others tell their stories in this way.

But that’s just one element. I’m learning other things, too.

I’m learning a new approach to storytelling

Last year, I laid out 6 novels for my next sci-fi series, Savagespace.

I’m excited to get started on this series – but am currently closing my Void Incursion series with its final book. And unlike books 1-4, book 5 was planned in advance.

Creating my Forgotten Fodder series, I shifted from writing as a pantser to writing as a planner. Rather than reduce or throttle my creativity, I’ve found it’s been surprisingly freeing.

One thing I have been loving in many of the series I’ve read over the last year is a key element of the narrative approach. It’s been a lot of show don’t tell.

What does that mean? In any story, the how of storytelling will draw the audience in or put them to sleep. Lots of great stories die in the telling because they tell but don’t show.

Let me illuminate this. I could spell out, right at the start, complex, detailed information about my characters and the situations they are in.

For example: John and Mary were in trouble. They had crossed the line into the neighboring territory and been captured. For breaking the law, they were on trial.

That’s pretty straightforward. And there’s nothing wrong with telling a story in this way.

But let me tell it another way:

“Objection!” the defender cried, causing an uproar in the courtroom. “My clients’ past actions are not on trial here!”

What’s going on? A trial is happening, sure. But why? The intrigue and immersion into this world is another storytelling approach.

My approach has fallen somewhere between these extremes. But the more I read stories opening in the latter – giving only bits and pieces by immersing me into the world – the more I desire to take that same approach.

Applying what I’m learning

I may go back to my outline for Savagespace and alter it to reflect this variance in my approach. Or, I might keep my guidelines – and just alter my approach as I get to work.

What I do know is that my original chapter 3 is going to be my chapter 1, now.

I’ve long been a fan of showing AND telling. The opening of Seeker is the perfect example of this. I start with my character in an unexpected situation. But I tell you why not long after that.

In many of the sci-fi stories I’ve been reading lately, they drop you right into the world of the characters – their situations – and take a while to get to the telling of why. And because I am loving how this approach draws me in – I am going to emulate it.

But it will still be unique to me. It will still be a work of fiction from my imagination. Because how I tell my stories Is not how others do so.

I’ve also encountered some elements in what I’ve read that I don’t care to emulate. Some of how things play out strain credulity or feel cheapened after the build-up. When they finally get to the tell, the result is a let-down.

As much as I learn from reading nonfiction, I’m learning from the fiction I consume, too. That will help me to become a better writer. And that’s ultimately worthwhile both for me and the readers I draw into my works.

I love learning. And I love learning things that make me rethink my approach to my own work that could improve upon it.

Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.

This is the one-hundred and forty-fourth article exploring the ongoing creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.

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