Well good luck with that. I suggest picking up a book and reading to better understand novel story arcs and how to put together a book. Like Chained said above: "Writing without reading is like building a car though you only know what it looks like from the outside."
I've already covered this extensively so I won't go over it yet again, except: 1: Race cars are not built by race drivers, they are built by engineers. The car thing is a shit metaphor, because you can still learn about how a car is built without being an avid driver, and you can learn all about handling with feedback from drivers, just like racing engineers do. Just because you drive doesn't mean you can build a car or have any understanding of mechanics, but you CAN understand mechanics and build a car without ever driving. It's called research. 2: I've got a few produced feature films under my belt, and have worked for years in script development, so I know story arcs. Gut instincts are worth more in my book and have taken me much further than mimicking. 3: Read my stuff in the workshop if you care enough and make up your own mind. People can theorize all they like about what others are, or are not, capable of. For me the proof is in the pudding.
And if you know anything about story and media at all you'd know that movies are vastly different than books. Writing a book is different than writing a script. And again, a writer can't write without actually reading or knowing how to read. Go try to get a kid who can't read and have him write a book. "Gut instincts" can only get you so far if you don't know what you're doing. And yeah it's sad
I think it's sad when people don't listen to others or care to understand their reasoning due to dogmatic indoctrination, and then insist on belittling those people with the illusion of pity. "Oh, I feel so sorry for you..." bah. Although I mostly downplay myself, the truth is I'm a good writer, and I've written books and scripts that hook people and they often read them in a single sitting, so I don't really care what others think about my disinterest in reading. It just frustrates me that people insist on something that I believe is fundamentally an ignorant fallacy, because of 'logic'.
That's a pointless statement. People aren't saying you don't need to be able to read. They're saying you don't have to read for pleasure or read a lot. I.e. being a reader. Don''t derail the point with silly extremes. And most people that read a lot still don't know what the hell they're doing.
It's only "pointless" because you can't prove me wrong. Film and Novels are drastically different, and much with film you'd need to watch a lot of movies in order to understand all the tropes and what to stay away from or change and all the arcs and how to properly create a movie. It's not really silly extremes at all. Being an avid reader gives ones the tools to understand the structures of books, the story arc of books, etc. Much like to create a game you must first play games. Somebody who has never played a pen/paper RPG won't be able to create a PP-RPG because they'd be lost trying to find their way. Every avid reader I know knows quite a bit about story arc and how a good book is designed, do they have the added creativity or insanity, maybe not but they have the tools which I would trust that more than I would trust something created by someone who doesn't even read.
The silly extreme is the kid not being able to read example. Of course a writer needs to be able to read. Anyway, I don't need to prove you wrong. I've stated my belief. You've stated yours. If you insist that there's no way I can possibly write, fine. But I'll just keep on writing all the same.
I'm in the reading camp, but to be entirely fair, Selbbin's stuff is better than a number of other works posted in the workshop. It's not extraordinary writing, and it's not very varied, style wise, but it contains natural voice and is cohesive, engaging, and has a number of admirers.
And as a writer I suggest you read something to get a better grasp on something you claim to enjoy doing but don't put in the effort to do it right. But like I said at the beginning. Good luck with it.
And I have no doubt in my mind it would be 10x better if he sat down and read some other works. Whether that be something new or a classic.
There's no need to be condescending. You haven't even read anything of mine. Others here have, and I think they would agree that I'm not being handicapped by a lack of interest in recreational reading. Edit: thanks numbers. Oh, and the reason it's in the workshop is because I know it's in need of a polish. The good stuff is tucked away.
I'm not, I'm suggesting that you read to better your art. How is that being condescending? You have an interesting view of the word "condescending".
Again that's and interesting interpretation. Didn't know trying to help someone was a bad thing but I guess I know now.
Hopefully part of that lesson is understanding that insisting you know better than other people that disagree with you because of their own experience isn't 'helping people'.
Anywho..... I don't think you need to be an avid reader. I'm sure understanding story arcs and structure will help you out a lot. I think you'll definitely benefit from reading more. I can't imagine a scenario where someone who doesn't read suddenly wants to start writing... I guess maybe it depends on what you're writing? Say like, a horror story could require less reading and more of an understanding of fear, and how people react to it.
True but an understanding of story arcs in books is very important to any genre. And every entertainment form from plays to books to movies have different ways to create the story arc. Movies get more to the point while books will take you through a deeper journey.
