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As a fiction writer, how widely should you read?

As spinners of stories and tellers of tales, how much and how widely should we read? Is it better to cling mainly to our own genres, honing our skills with a laser focus, or to branch out, tasting this and that? I think both approaches may have merit, but I’d like to share a little of my own experiences, in the hope they might be useful to others.

I am a fantasy writer, and fantasy is probably my first love as a reader, too. But it is by no means the only fiction I consume. I choose books primarily for pleasure, and derive a great deal of joy from them. But lately I have come to realise that reading outside my own genre has also brought many benefits to my writing practice.

Here are the four genres I read the most, and what I have gained from each of them:

-SPECULATIVE FICTION-

I write character-driven, epic fantasy. I read it, too, along with other types of fantasy, dystopian tales, and science fiction. All of these are brimming with original ideas, and expand my mind to consider new possibilities for my own fiction. Just yesterday, the mere presence of an opal in a story I was reading unexpectedly sparked a whole new thread for my next novel. I immediately put the book down and wrote two pages of notes (before going back to my reading, of course), and I can’t wait to explore this further. And I wouldn’t know where to begin with worldbuilding if I hadn’t been visiting wondrous, extraordinary worlds ever since childhood.

-CRIME-

From cosy mysteries, through police procedurals and creepy, atmospheric tales, all the way up to tense, action-packed thrillers, I devour this genre. I especially adore classic puzzles, clever twists and turns, character reversals, and trying to solve the case myself before the detective gets there. Thanks to decades of this steady diet, I find myself filling my fantasy novels with mystery and intrigue. I implant hints, make multiple links and connections, and gleefully blaze narrow, camouflaged trails for the astute reader to follow. Surprise revelations and ‘ah-ha’ moments give me enormous pleasure to write, and I love readers’ reactions to them. I would find it very hard to write a novel with no mystery elements, and I can’t imagine wanting to. They make my stories richer.

-ROMANCE-

I read a little romance when I’m in the mood for it, and especially enjoy the kind that is full of wit and humour. The clever banter in these novels has had a direct influence on my own dialogue, making it more natural and entertaining. I intend to improve it further by indulging in more of this kind of reading, and I’d appreciate recommendations from more experienced romance readers in the comments.

-LITERARY FICTION-

These are books that combine serious ideas with exemplary writing. A little of this genre goes a long way, but those I read tend to earn 5-star reviews from me, and undoubtedly influence my own work for the better.
Thanks to these books, I have felt confident enough to write about deep emotions including guilt, childhood trauma, destructive ambition, and grief. In Greenhaelan, alongside the characters’ personal issues, I depicted the despair and displacement of communities caused by an ecological catastrophe. The allure and deception of damaging cults is present in Skalsinger. And then there are the real biggies: the nature of existence, good and evil, free will, and spirituality. I would have found it almost impossible to know how to weave such weighty matters into an engaging story if I had not experienced others doing it so superbly.
And then there’s writing style: mine is by no means elevated to “literary”, but exposure to the very best not only brings me a great deal of pleasure (word-nerd that I am) but gives me the tools I need to say what I want in the way I want to say it, and to recognise when I am succeeding.

Almost every book I read has something to teach me, whether I am aware of the lesson or blissfully lost in the story. Together they fill the well of creativity and skill I draw from when I write. If I want that water to stay fresh and deep, I need to keep replenishing it. For me, reading widely is the way.