Reading Trash, Writing Trash (a discussion)

I'm not a book snob, I'll read just about anything I can get my grubby little mits on, so I'm wondering if a person reads a lot of trashy novels would their writing also be trashy?
Putting aside the fact that 'trashy' is a subjective term, what a writer reads would have some influence on what they write, but to what degree?
S

 

Yeah but I think it can be good to have some trashy influences. Makes for richer writing in the end I think to not be a snob and to welcome other voices into your mind. I would try to be careful not to read TOO much of it, just as you don't want too many fats or sweets in your diet.

 

This is going to be something of a rant.

I think whether or not you're a good writer has a lot to do with how intelligent and/or perceptive you are, combined with your drive to actually sit down and spend time on something in order to make it good. It also depends on whether or not you're willing or able to say something original or interesting. Failing that, you should at least be able to say something that hasn't already been said, or talk about something that hasn't been talked about, or isn't boring to begin with.

So really, it doesn't even matter what you read, because if you're capable of giving an engaging and insightful reaction to a road sign then you're still miles ahead of anyone who would read the complete works of Leo Tolstoy and say nothing, except maybe, 'Yeah, it was good. I liked it.'

I don't even think you have to like reading to be a good writer. Who cares if you know all about the great writers if you're churning out the same old boring predictable shit. If you're semi-illiterate and have a story to tell, it will probably be more interesting than someone who does nothing but indulge in banalities and wish they were beautiful, or even worse, think that they are beautiful and are saying beautiful things.

Good writing like all good art illuminates timeless truths-- human truths, spiritual truths, emotional truths. It goes beyond lowly feelings into real human emotions. Good art is charged with the need to express what is being expressed, because it must be said. It can't be faked or manufactured, it has to be present and understood through its realization.

 

Very well said.

"Knowledge" of "writing" or I guess, reading, rather, is ultimate in useless stuff writers think they may need. It might even hinder a person who is just getting into writing, always trying to write like this, or that; not stopping to find their own voice.

Not to say knowledge of writers and their works is a BAD thing, but it will make you no more proficient in writing, than memorizing baseball cards would make you swinging a bat.

 

people tend to forget (i think) that writing is a craft. something one hones, develops, works on.

"just being a good writer" is a false statement. no one is "just a good writer," especially if they don't read. i'm not saying there aren't those who sit down writing their first whatever, never having read anything, and it's a hit. but those people are few, and everybody hates them. they do.

in reality, it doesn't take reading to know how to write, but to see how to write. it's not something you "have" to do, just something for you to see.

now the topic is about reading trashy stuff and what the effect of that would be. ideally, if you read something that is "trashy" you'd tend to go "man, i hope i don't write like that." but there's more you can do than just hope, because writing is a CRAFT.

time. effort. practice.

you read to learn. you read to be entertained. you don't read to learn how to entertain.

 

I tend to write in a similar style to my favourite fiction, that poses the arguement, am I inspired by it or am I gravitating to books that are similar to what I write- if that makes sense
S

 

I think the difference tough with honing your writing... speaking and writing are closely related. You don't necessarily have to read a lot to hone your writing craft, or even write a lot. Communication is what it all comes back to.

How effectively do you communicate your ideas.

And Sam... depends, how long have you been writing in that style/reading that style?

 

both from my early teens, so thats not going to shed much light on it, also I am going to post a short story on here soon
S

 

Even with an English degree, I often can't define great literature; it is like being in love. It leaves a hollow, breathless feeling in my chest.

Writing is like any other art. Rodin didn't wake up one day and decide he was going to make beautiful bronze sculptures and then produce masterpieces. It is part artistic vision and part craft.

Regarding shlocky writing ... does seeing one too many velvet paintings of Elvis mean one can never produce a great painting without velvet or the King?

I think that it depends on why one reads the shlock. Sometimes when I read too much heavy literature or I haven't seen my lover in a while due to our odd schedules, I'll read some poorly written porn for women (romance or erotic suspense novels). I gotta admit, when one is in need of something stimulating, having steamy sex with a vampire vicariously through some poorly written pulp fiction is more viscerally satisfying than reading Milton's ideas about Prelapsarian sex. It's like the difference between watching a movie and being into film. That doesn't mean I don't wince at every cliche, every fragment, etc. that is done out of ignorance rather than for stylistic reasons.

If you read trash for recreational purposes and you recognize it as such, I think your pen (or keyboard) will know the difference between that and good writing.

 

exactly

 

"If you read trash for recreational purposes and you recognize it as such, I think your pen (or keyboard) will know the difference between that and good writing."

I agree and identify with many of the sentiments expressed in your post. I agree with that last statement especially and I think it's good advice for everyone.