Toi here and welcome back to Lit Carnivale. I’m a day late but with plenty to share.
Today, I want to talk about consumption vs participation.
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1. Some writers are readers and some are not. I’ve had this debate many times. As a reading advocate, I’m always going to encourage others to read. Still, I recognize that motivation is important to the reality of why a writer might not read. In a recent author interview I talked about reader burn-out and how it’s a real thing.
So, as far as I can tell, there are three reasons why writers may not be readers. 1st some writers have no interest in reading. Why they decided to become a writer could range from experimental self-express or be something as simple as a way to possibly make some money. Regardless, their desire to write is no reflection on the habit of reading. It’s not necessary for them. For these writers, other writer’s words have no bearing. Their voice is the only voice in their head. At least, that’s what they believe. They are actively trying not to be influenced by someone else’s words. They may or may not acknowledge that the voice of other creatives, such as filmmakers, TV writers and directors, playwrights, videogame developers, and more are all in their heads taking up space.
2. The 2nd reason why some writers may not be readers, could have more to do with when, where, and how they learned to read. For many people, whether a writer or not, reading is not an enjoyable experience. This makes me sad and is a major reason as to why I’m a reading advocate. Too many people have been made to feel that they have to read a certain way, or only read certain things, and must somehow analyze and interpret written words in a particular way. It applies a social stigma to something that should be universal. This has long-lasting damaging effects on large portion of the literate population and is also a contributing factor to why some people, who can learn to read avoid it or only learn just enough to get by. This often leads to reluctant writers who find inspiration solely from alternative forms of storytelling: such a movies, TV, music, games, and more. This isn’t necessity bad, but it often develops creatives who are being influenced by adaptions, without ever encountering the source material.
3. The final reason is my least favorite, and one that I’m working on not being too judgmental about. What does “write what you know” really mean? Does this mean you have to participate in the action, or can you simply learn it from other books? Can a writer write something they’ve never read simply because they saw it in a movie, on TV, or in a play? That’s often the question with this last reason.
Some writers don’t think they need to read in order to write. Some even go so far as to say that consumption doesn’t equal participation. That means, they don’t believe readers have an advantage over them simply because they’ve read something- just because someone reads romance doesn’t mean they can write it. These types of writers have no interest in learning about structure, genre, or other writerly semantics. They believe that natural talent can and will always speak for itself. They write for their own self-gratification, which I actually admire. Unfortunately, natural talent successes are usually the luck of the draw. If or when these writers don’t receive they kind of feedback they desire, they don’t consider that their writing may have been a factor.
Still, all of this is not the same as reader burn-out, where we started at the beginning of this episode. Reader burn-out is state of mind and sometimes more. It’s temporary, but that doesn’t mean it can’t last a long time. It’s something that can happen to writers or readers in general. With reader burn-out, there is a desire to reader, but not the motivation or energy. There’s so much more to it than that, but that’s as far as I’ll go today. All I’ll say for now, is that the desire to want to read is enough to make you a reader. When the time is right, you’ll find your way back into a book that feels like home.
Question: Do you think, consumption counts as “Write what you know”? I’d love to know. I can’t answer this for anyone else, but I refused to consider publishing a memoir without reading a few first and I’m so glad I did.
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Until next time, stay safe, keep reading, and be blessed.
Credits
Lit Carnivale Season 1, Episode 16.
Staring Toi Thomas.
Featuring no one else at this time.
Topics Discussed: Write what you know, Consumption vs Participation, Writers who read, Writers who don’t read.
Produced by Toi Thomas in association with The ToiBox of Words and Lit Carnivale.
Directed by Toinette “Toi” Thomas.
Thanks again to the Lit Carnivale Community at Substack, YouTube, and wherever you can hear this podcast.
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