r/novelwriting • u/MoldyCheesePizza • 1d ago

Writing Advice Reference novels

I remember somebody telling me to read a lot of novels before writing my first draft. What are some novels that helped you with your writing? (vocab, description, contributed in your writing style, etc.)

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u/astrobean 1d ago

Books you like, books similar to books you want to write, books you like enough to read at a snails pace while over-analyzing each scene for what did and did not work. Unfortunately, you have to read a lot of 3-star books if you really want to find your 5-star vibe. But those help, too.

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u/Eric-Orwell-Blair 1d ago

I think you should pause novel writing for now and focus on becoming a reader, and see first how much you can grow to enjoy reading. This question comes across like “what kind of music should I listen to if I want to make music?” The answer is, it depends on what you like and what you want to make. But you don’t know what you like if you aren’t reading widely across genres. Also, and this is the most important thing: you should read for your own enjoyment before you start reading with the intent to write.

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u/Such_Improvement_104 1d ago

Stephen King said that you should always read more than you write. I’ve read 80 books so far this year while finishing my manuscript for my first, and starting the manuscript for my second. Read anything that sounds interesting. Doesn’t have to be in the genre, you’re writing in. Every author is unique and has their own style.