Thursday 3 September 2009

Do You Read Enough?

One of the biggest irony for most writers is that as they write more - because they love stories - there is less time to read. Majority of us aren't full time writers, so time is short as it is. Once you get into the discipline of writing, do you still make time to read enough? Earlier this year when I started to write regularly, for first few months, my reading reduced considerably. I was aware of it, and I didn't like that. I had all these piles of books waiting to be read, new worlds to be explored. So I made a conscious decision not to let that happen. That was the reason behind keeping the record here. I still update it, and it's great to see the list grow. I already read a wide variety of fiction, so my new goal is to read a little more non-fiction (other than writing craft). And for 2010, I intend to challenge myself to read 101 books. What about you? Do you devote good time to read, just for the pleasure of it? PS: This is a scheduled post, while I am having a short break in Berlin. I will reply to any comments upon my return.

8 comments:

  1. I read very little at the moment. I've been reading the same book (Bram Stoker's Dracula) for weeks now, because I haven't been leaving myself time to read at the end of the day.

    Must try harder. ;-)

    Adam

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't seem to leave time for myself to read either. I've been 'reading' "The Rule of Four" for about a year now, and "Julie and Julia" for about 2 weeks.

    I need to do better! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always leave time to read. It's my nightly wind down. I read for about an hour before I fall asleep. It's relaxing and makes for excellent dreams, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm focused on writing right now, so my reading has slipped. But when I need a break from the plotting, I find a good book to dive into.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I seem to read in batches - I'll read non-stop for a couple of days and then taper off to just about no reading at all. And I can never read the kind of books I'm working on - for instance if I'm writing fantasy I avoid fantasy, or if I'm writing romance I avoid reading that category of romance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. For the past few months I have been challenging myself to read 10 pages of fiction a day, purely for fun. I've gotten a little off track though, because I've been busy packing an moving. But, I've managed to get through three novels this summer, which is three more than I had read this time last year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck to you all with your reading. I am seriously hoping to make a good book count for the remaining of this year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I need to make more time for reading at the end of the day. I always read on my lunch break, but my writing has gotten in the way of my bedtime reading lately. Solution: start writing earlier in the evening. Must teach myself to write during TV commercials... ;-)

    ReplyDelete