Well, its been a very long time since I've written or continued my work, although I do have a reason. I have planned out my whole book and many that I hope shall come after it, and have got everything in my head. But I chose not to write, because I felt that(my general genre is Fantasy) I did not read, the pieces of works which I think to be Vital or root of the Genre, it self(I have not read LOTR and only have read Narnia partially) so, I am reading those works right now, but so long has passed and both my mind and hard seem to urge me on to hurry up and write but I feel I cannot until I read these, for I consider and sincerely hope that reading them, will help improve my own writing style. But my question- Is that the right thing to do?
For, I have been lost, with my nose under many books other than which I had hoped to read, but have ended up delaying the activity occupied with other pieces of writing I found rather good.
Hello, sorry for the belated post :)
I would agree with the others in that you just need to get on with it and write. Learning that craft is different to the reading...although they of course harmonise delightfully.
But I would add that it is better to choose a good book and not only read it but study it. Reread it, dissect it, write your findings down. Seek others/essays about it. Expose the nuts and bolts, so that you learn how to engineer them yourself.
Then perhaps diversify your reading selection via techniques adopted.
For me...I kind of view this as a lifetime process :) So. Many. Books
If you have your story, your universe, ready in your mind, then you should write it down, because you must take the inspiration, the energy, this magma of ideas bubbling in your head, while it still bubbling !
Do not worry about how many books you've read, or wich ones you should've read, and try to trust your own imagination, you maybe will not write the perfect story, and it will be full of maladroitness and imperfections, but it will be original, rather then just being an ersatz of LOTR or Narnia, (you'll alaways have time to read them later, and then it will help you improve your own story !)
Hmmm...... I myself read 3 - 4 books a week! Yes, it would be helpful to read books to improve the writing style! But yes, you will have to take out time yourself! :D