The Word Nerds are pleased to welcome indie author Steena Holmes to Required Reading today. She’s a multi-genre writers, and as she admits, our question of “what’s a required reading title in a genre outside of your norm?” was a bit of a challenge for her.
But, she met our criteria and tackled some great picks!
Required Reading: The Power of World Building
by Steena Holmes
Choosing a genre outside of what I write is a bit difficult, since I like to write in a variety of genres to test myself, but the one group that I don’t dare to attempt and is the one that excels in world building – science fiction.
There’s something about this style that pulls me in and excites me. Whenever I’m ready to get lost in a world that’s not my own – this is the genre I go to.
I have a few favorites – The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, LOTR (of course) by Tolkien and then there is George R.R. Martin. These authors know how to woo a reader with their larger than life worlds and characters.
I have scenes ear-marked in my go-to books that flow with description while creating a world that I love to lose myself in. I can read these pages over and over again and always find new ways to look at the countryside, the cavern, the dungeons…and I’m constantly amazed at the gift and ability of these writers.
Science fiction is a genre I could never try to write, but it’s one that teaches me the most as a writer. The moment I put down a book and open up my document, those scenes that earlier plagued me as inconsistent and lacking suddenly open up to me and the words flow with an ease I previously struggled with.
This series – Required Reading – is a fabulous one and I look forward to reading more posts! Thank you for having me here!
The Word Nerds 