For just over a month, several contributors here at TTOF have been discussing the importance of writers being readers too. Elaine (MG), Erin (MG Fantasy), Rosalyn (YA) and Helen (NA) each talked about the importance of reading, so I’m not going to reiterate what they have said.

Instead, I will advise that reading is fundamental to understand genre. Of course, there are certain genres that are easily identifiable, but as the market continues to grow, it becomes important, no, essential that writers are reading what they claim to be writing. There are nuances between magic realism and fantasy, between MG and YA, between romance and women’s fiction, nuances that people can talk about and explain, but that are nearly impossible to fully understand without having read that genre.

So, the books recommended below are all novels that were instrumental in helping me identify my genre, see what was possible within it, and a deep study from some of the masters of women’s fiction and how they weave in the fundamental elements of the genre.

For a lesson on emotional writing

For a lesson on magic

For a lesson on family relationships 

For a lesson on friendship

For a lesson in voice and character development

For a lesson in establishing mood and setting

For a lesson on historical fiction

Tasha Seegmiller is a mom to three kids and high school English teacher in Southern Utah. She writes contemporary women’s fiction with a dash of magic. Her loves include Diet Coke, owls, chocolate and cinnamon bears. She is the managing editor for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association quarterly newsletter.