When Romance Writers Read and Create

In my opinion, anyone who says they don’t have time to read might as well say they don’t have time to breathe. Reading is as necessary to my well-being as food, water, and sleep are. It can be argued that writers must be readers. Most romance writers are also romance readers.

I also think it’s necessary to read outside of the genre you write in. I’m not saying that if you write sweet or Christian or inspirational romance, that you should read erotica or gay romance. But I am saying that if you write historical romance, maybe pick up a romantic suspense. If you write Amish, try a romantic comedy. You’ll be surprised at how the conventions of the other genre will inspire and inform your own writing.

For instance, I was working on a sweet, contemporary romance but was stuck on a plot point. I was using the secret baby trope, which I know lots of readers hate, so I needed a really, really compelling reason for the heroine to keep this pregnancy and baby from the father.

I story mapped. I brainstormed with my critique group. I tried free associating ideas. Finally, I gave up. I told my subconscious to work on it and I picked up a thriller to read. A couple of hours later, I put the book down and I knew exactly why the heroine didn’t tell the father. She couldn’t tell him. Telling him would ruin his life, and she would never do that. Something in the thriller—a turning point in the story—jogged my subconscious which had been laboring feverishly while my conscious mind had been otherwise occupied. Steven King calls this the “boys in the basement,” at work. My girls in the basement, once I set them loose on the problem, came up with the solution while I read about spies running around Rome, trying to stop a terrorist plot to kill the Pope.

Reading in another genre also helps keep you open to new ways to twist a phrase or expression. Some genres have specific vocabularies and reading unfamiliar idioms will help your brain follow new pathways and make new connections. That all helps keep your writing fresh and unexpected.

If you normally read hard copy books, try an ebook, or an audio book. Something about shaking up your normal routine also shakes up your creativity. Speaking of creativity, let’s touch on the importance of filling up that creative well. Reading outside your usual genre is part of that. But also take time for other creative endeavors. Get outside into nature. Visit museums and art galleries. Even if you live in a rural area, far from a museum, many offer virtual tours online. With the Internet at our fingertips, we can learn Scottish history as easily as we can examine the Sistine Chapel up close and personal.

If there’s a popular romance author that you’ve never gotten around to reading (because, let’s face it: so many books, so little time), seek out a title by that writer and move it to the top of your To-Be-Read stack.

Be purposeful in your reading, yes. But also read for the sheer pleasure of it. Read because you must. Read because without stories, your brain would shrivel up and crumble to dust. Read to make your own stories stronger and better.

Carrie Padgett lives in Central California, close to Yosemite, but far from Hollywood, the beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge. She believes in faith, families, fun, and happily ever after. She writes contemporary fiction with romance. Carrie and her Stud Muffin live in Central California with their cat and dog and within driving distance of their six grandchildren.

You can find her online at:

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Amazon Author Page: Carrie Padgett