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Post by musik on Oct 15, 2020 15:42:35 GMT
I followed a discussion on another forum where a guy from Finland happened to write books.
He asked "Must authors read?"
Something he had never done, he said. Not a single book in his whole life.
He got a lot of bullying from people about it. Other writers, authors, felt it was a disgrace to even ask such a thing! They were comparing it with a doctor who didn't study any medicine books at school, a driver without a driver's license, a musician who didn't listen to music and all such things.
So I ask the question he had, here:
To be an Author, do you have to read?
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Oct 15, 2020 15:45:15 GMT
I don’t brew beer but I drink it
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Post by partickpotter on Oct 15, 2020 15:53:30 GMT
One plus side... he can’t be accused of plagiarism.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2020 16:40:40 GMT
I don’t brew beer but I drink it I think this would be equivalent of brewing beer having never drank it. |
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Oct 15, 2020 16:51:47 GMT
I don’t brew beer but I drink it I think this would be equivalent of brewing beer having never drank it. Haha I know just playing😀 |
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Post by elystokie on Oct 15, 2020 17:19:40 GMT
I don’t brew beer but I drink it I think this would be equivalent of brewing beer having never drank it. Surely that would be the equivalent of him never having read anything, he must have read something to learn how? |
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Post by dirtclod on Oct 15, 2020 20:03:20 GMT
That'd be like working at a dildo factory having never....oh hold on.....
I think it's more likely that he just never sat down and read one cover to cover but read parts of books? Not ever reading a book would protect you from plagiarism alright, but it would make it difficult to pull off writing any book that'd be readable.
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Post by musik on Oct 15, 2020 21:37:38 GMT
Not ever reading a book would protect you from plagiarism alright, but it would make it difficult to pull off writing any book that'd be readable. That was my initial thought too, but then I gave it some time. Doesn't it depend on what kind of author you are? It you write a film script, for instance, wouldn't watching films be enough? And if you write cook books? Children books, do you need to read then, wouldn't it be better to talk to kids, see what they like, what their level of language is. And poetry. Wouldn't it be enough to go to a lot of poetry readings, where they perform? And would it count if that finnish guy listened to a lot of sound books instead of reading? What would be the difference, if there is any? I have given this a little bit of thought, since they were bullying him to some extent and for a start I was thinking a bit longer. I read a lot myself, short stories, novels, a bit of poetry, horror, crime, sci fi, drama ... |
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Post by hcstokie on Oct 16, 2020 7:33:00 GMT
Not ever reading a book would protect you from plagiarism alright, but it would make it difficult to pull off writing any book that'd be readable. That was my initial thought too, but then I gave it some time. Doesn't it depend on what kind of author you are? It you write a film script, for instance, wouldn't watching films be enough? And if you write cook books? Children books, do you need to read then, wouldn't it be better to talk to kids, see what they like, what their level of language is. And poetry. Wouldn't it be enough to go to a lot of poetry readings, where they perform? And would it count if that finnish guy listened to a lot of sound books instead of reading? What would be the difference, if there is any? I have given this a little bit of thought, since they were bullying him to some extent and for a start I was thinking a bit longer. I read a lot myself, short stories, novels, a bit of poetry, horror, crime, sci fi, drama ... All valid points - I think it depends on what they write. As obvious as this sounds, an author needs to have an understanding of language, plot creation, character building and construct. In theory this is achievable without having to read books written by others. I’m sure that for some authors reading books will give them inspiration and creative insight. For others I suspect it’s more just a case of them enjoying reading a good story. I’d advocate that if this guy is successful then good on him and his peers shouldn’t go in on him because he doesn’t follow the norm. It makes you wonder whether there’s a bit of mutual backslapping and validation going on. |
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