My tastes are eclectic and experiences varied, and my writing reflects that diversity.  True, most of my stories are romances, or at least contain a strong romantic component even if they don’t fit the rules typical of the romance genre.  But my muses take me along many paths, and my fiction includes a mix of styles and categories.  Perhaps some readers find such lack of consistency disturbing.  I, myself, tend to pick up the works of certain authors simply because I know what to expect of their novels.  But I also read many different types of stories, and often switch back and forth, choosing a romance one day, a mystery another, a thriller after that, and so on.

They say that “variety is the spice of life,” and I believe that applies to reading (and music and movies, for that matter).  Not only can switching genres give one a sort of mental holiday, it can expose a reader to novel use of language, to new words and phrases, and perhaps most importantly to different perspectives and fresh vistas.

According to Arthur Koestler in his book The Act of Creation, creativity is not pulling something new out of thin air but arranging the known in new ways.  Therefore, the more we fill our memory “bank” in terms of quantity and variety, the more “creative capital” we have to work with.

So, read.  Read often.  Read much.  Read many types of material.  And let inspiration flow, whatever form it may take.

What type(s) of books do you read?