YA fantasy Writers who have never read Harry Potter http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911 LDRobwell I'm not the only one, am I? Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:27:46 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_631393 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_631393 aaalllyyysssaaaaa Yup, ya are. Sorry! Now what are you waiting for? Go read Harry Potter! Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:08:08 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070105 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070105 Phoenix I think that you're in the same position as a horror writer who's never read Stephen King--you might be talented, but you're out of touch with the state of the genre and ignorant of a key figure in it. Generally, I think it's a bad plan to be ignorant of one's own genre. Ymmv. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:59:33 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070178 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070178 Celtic Forest Dweller I haven't. So no, you're not the only one :) I suppose this thread will inevitably become a "Read Harry Potter Or Else" sort of thing though . . . Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:20:51 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1081849 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1081849 XVisiEX Wasn't allowed to, so nope. Not alone. I highly doubt Harry Potter is the key source to all fantasy. I have read dozens of fantastic fantasy series and not one of them was Harry Potter. That's like saying "If you never saw Titanic, you have no business doing disaster movies with romance elements!" Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:56:00 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1108665 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1108665 Phoenix HP a major work in modern YA fantasy, arguably the most important work in YA fantasy in the past few decades. Will it ultimately be judged a seminal work of modern YA fantasy, as LotR is of modern adult fantasy? Maybe no, maybe so. But it's a cardinal rule of professional writing to know your market, and you do that by reading widely in it...especially including its big successes. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:36:03 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1108959 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1108959 XVisiEX Twilight became a mega success as well and people have even argued got the whole "Vampire" thing rolling. That to me, personally is just giving it more credit than it deserves. It probably has just as wide of a fanbase and got just as much media attention. I don't think someone needs to read through that series to write a paranormal/fantasy romance. So I doubt if the OP never reads Harry Potter cover to cover he will be eternally shunned for it. There were stories before that and there will be stories after it. It hardly makes him ignorant. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:12:03 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110049 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110049 Phoenix Sure it does. And the point is not "being shunned"--that's just a silly interpolation. The point is being professional, or not. If he fancies himself a pro, he needs to read HP...and probably ought also to read the execrable Twilight books as well. Certainly if he were planning to publish in the YA paranormal field he would need to read them, if only to know what cliches to avoid. I'd suggest a close reading of Scalzi's advice to young writers (http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/04/27/10-things-teenage-writers-should-know-about-writing/), with special attention to item 5. Of course, if he's not interested in writing professionally--or even particularly well--then it doesn't matter in the slightest what he chooses to read. (Not that it matters, but I've observed that most people who normally enjoy YA fantasy but refuse to read HP seem to do it out of some sense of "superiority" or "individuality," as though liking something that's so widely popular would render them déclassé. Hence, I think, the sometimes heated discussions around the issue. Personally, I don't think that Absolutely! Everybody! should read the books, though they *are* good, of their kind, but I do find it a little amusing that some people announce proudly that they haven't read them as though that conferred on them some sort of moral or literary distinction.) Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:10:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110169 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1110169 harrypoter4ever Grab Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and shove your face in it NOOOOOOWWWWWW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok I'm done &gt;:) Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:12:50 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1115387 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1115387 harrypoter4ever You are terribly wrong.. my friend-who's-a-random-person, you are so very wrong. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:13:49 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1115393 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1115393 Cadaverine Harry Potter is trash. PD James recommends you only read books that are well written, because bad writing will infect you ;) So stay away from Harry Potter. Read the greats like Tamora Pierce and Terry Pratchett instead. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:02:09 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118556 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118556 Phoenix PD must be terribly impressionable. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:05:58 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118566 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118566 Cadaverine lol, I don't think so - but I know what she means. Read too much trash and it starts to come through in the way your mind forms sentences. I mean, all writers have to read to become good writers, that's standard advice. So why read something that's bad? If reading helps you become a better writer, feed your brain GOOD brainfood, not junk. Of course, the odd naughty indulgence is good for the soul, but it can't be your bread and butter. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:22:58 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118612 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118612 Phoenix On the other hand, you can learn a whole lot more about what *won't* work and why by reading "junk." Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:53:02 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118839 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1118839 mattskywalker Harry Potter isn't trash. Just saying... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:58:46 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122233 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122233 Cavaliere Errante One man's trash is another man's treasure. PD James sounds like a literary snob to me. The best advice I was ever given was to read all that I could get my hands on. Read children's books, read books for adults. Read crappy romance novels, read horror, fantasy, sci-fi, read paranormal romance even if it makes you gag, read dictionaries, read encyclopedias, read fiction, read non-fiction, read autobiographies, read car manuals. If it has words in a language you can understand, read it. Reading is the greatest talent a writer can have, only by reading can you learn what works, what doesn't, what you like, what you don't like. Read everything. And besides, much how you think Harry Potter is trash there are plenty of people out there who think Tamora Pierce is trash too. It's best to just say you don't like something rather than calling it trash. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:46:17 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122284 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1122284 Essence_of_Insanity One of my professors told me to read everything so that I could find out what - for me - works and doesn't work, what I want to imitate and what I don't want. Additionally, I find that, especially when it comes to books I haven't read, I'm never going to learn what books I do and don't like until I, you know, actually read them. Reading is seriously the best thing a writer can do, even if it means wading through trashy writing. I don't disagree with your last sentence, but I think even those " odd naughty indulgence[s]" can teach you something about what you're drawn to as a reader. That can be useful when your writing. I haven't encountered one professor in my college experience who hasn't said emulate what you love to read. But you have to be willing to stumble across books you don't love, that may not be well written in order to find the books you <em>do</em> love. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:54:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1126447 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1126447 Earthsick Imho, Harry Potter isn't the "key source" as you call it (I read all of the books, btw), but Lord of the Rings might be. Even if the elves there aren't faithful to their source material. After all, Tolkien used a lot of mythical stuff from irish mythology. Which is by the way the one that inspired the stories about King Arthur, which is also the one that evolved from the celtic mythology. Celtic mythology on the other hand is in some ways a bit like norse mythology when it comes to their god characters. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:18:05 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1173820 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1173820 Phoenix It's not a "key source," but it's a key work. And, to the best of my knowledge, Tolkien didn't lean especially heavily on Irish mythology, which wasn't the source for Arthur material--you're thinking of Welsh mythology, I suspect. Certainly there's some commonality between Celtic and Norse pantheons; they're both Indo-European in origin. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:37:42 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1173826 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1173826 LilacLex I've never read Harry Potter. However, not by choice. My brother got the complete set a year ago and still hasn't finished so I can't start on it *hmph*. That aside, I don't think you necessarily have to read something like Harry Potter to understand the fantasy genre. There are plenty of good authors out there that are unnoticed and they can contribute just as much. I'd just say get around to it eventually, but as long as you do read fantasy, and understand it, you're not missing anything. And good for you for being so brave as to actually say you don't read Harry Potter :) It shouldn't matter as long as you do read fantasy (and some other good names, too). Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:36:09 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1174387 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1174387 MonochromeLacrimosa I have only read the first Harry Potter novel and I have to say, I was bored out of my mind. Rowling's writing style just annoyed me. So, no, I do not think you have to read Harry Potter unless you want to. Maybe try reading it to see if you like it, but if you don't then why bother? Reading a book that doesn't interest you is like pricking your thumb on a thorn. You have to deal with it until the ordeal is done. That is not what reading is about. Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. And to all of you who are saying that OP should read it if he want to write fantasy: why? That is like saying OP should read every single fantasy novel to have ever come out. It isn't necessary. There are thousands upon thousands of fantasy novels out there, why is Harry Potter so important? In my opinion, if you are going to write fantasy, read classic fantasy. Learn where all of these modern ideas have come from so that you can work them to your advantage. And then read the modern fantasy novels that you want. You don't have to jump on the bandwagon and read Harry Potter just because everyone else is reading it. Read what you want to read, what you feel is going to help you in the long run. If you think reading Harry Potter is going to help your writing, go for it. I'm not stopping you. I'm just saying that it isn't necessary. Sorry for ranting by the way. Whenever I tell people that I don't like Harry Potter, they stare at me like I beat a puppy with a stick. Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:15:45 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1214065 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1214065 XVisiEX [quote=MonochromeLacrimosa] I have only read the first Harry Potter novel and I have to say, I was bored out of my mind. Rowling's writing style just annoyed me. So, no, I do not think you have to read Harry Potter unless you want to. Maybe try reading it to see if you like it, but if you don't then why bother? Reading a book that doesn't interest you is like pricking your thumb on a thorn. You have to deal with it until the ordeal is done. That is not what reading is about. Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. And to all of you who are saying that OP should read it if he want to write fantasy: why? That is like saying OP should read every single fantasy novel to have ever come out. It isn't necessary. There are thousands upon thousands of fantasy novels out there, why is Harry Potter so important? In my opinion, if you are going to write fantasy, read classic fantasy. Learn where all of these modern ideas have come from so that you can work them to your advantage. And then read the modern fantasy novels that you want. You don't have to jump on the bandwagon and read Harry Potter just because everyone else is reading it. Read what you want to read, what you feel is going to help you in the long run. If you think reading Harry Potter is going to help your writing, go for it. I'm not stopping you. I'm just saying that it isn't necessary. Sorry for ranting by the way. Whenever I tell people that I don't like Harry Potter, they stare at me like I beat a puppy with a stick. [/quote] I agree with you and stand by what I said in another thread. Reading someone elses' favorite author will not make you a good writer, unless you plan to rip off said author, which isn't the best idea either. No reason for anyone to have heart failure or be snarky because someone, God forbid, does not adore Harry Potter or....shocker, thinks it sucks. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:37:51 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1217062 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1217062 MariahBurkett Pfft, read one book (The fourth one lol, I got it for my b-day) and I was done with that. Never been interested in reading any more. Even less so because it's so popular. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:22:47 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1249690 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/writing-groups-and-clubs/threads/32911?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1249690