75. Read a Work of Fiction

Posted by 93 Studios in Frontpage, Storytelling on 09 17th, 2009 | no responses |

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“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” –Mark Twain

Continuing with the “go out and do stuff” cycle, I want you to find a work of fiction, sit down and read it. Since you all have probably read some fiction in your day, I’ll make this challenge a bit more interesting – find a piece of fiction in a genre you don’t typically gravitate towards and read it cover to cover. Maybe you don’t think you like mysteries or maybe the last magical realism book you picked up was House of the Spirits back in High School.

Find something new and notice how the story is structured, compare it to the structures you find in your pet genre and think about how elements from the two could cross over. Look for narrative hooks and open questions, plot your mood as you read and ask yourself what elements of the story are keeping you moving forward.

Lots to keep in mind, I wonder if forensic reading is a profession?

As for book suggestions, here are a few of my favorite:

Catspaw by Joan Vinge.
Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
Accelerando by Charles Stross
The Scar by China Meiville
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I would highly recommend each and every one of these books. If you don’t like any of these, here is Random House’s list of the top fiction books of all times.

What would you recommend?

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