Jan 25 2009
Keeping Your Writing Fresh by Reading - Read a Book a Week
I’ve rediscovered the joys of reading only recently. I go to the library once every week or so and leave with an armful of books, most of which are fiction or creative non fiction. From my most recent stack, I’ve already read three of them.
It’s important to stay in touch with the craft by reading the worksof other authors. It helps you grow as a writer. It gives you a chance to see what topics people are writing about and how they approach it. For me, my writing style is a collage of everything I’ve ever read.
Lately, my favorite things to read are historical fiction and memoirs. Both agree with me. Both are the kinds of things I can see myself writing. I’m also revising the classics. I just read Pygmalian by George Bernard Shaw - an interesting thing to do after having watched My Fair Lady.
Your challenge is to read a book this week. Yes. This week. I take it with me when I shop, read it when I need a brain break, and read instead of watching TV at night. If the book is good enough, I’ll polish it off in the same day. I’m busy, too. So, you can definitely pull off reading one book a week.
2007 and 2008 saw me read 49 books each year. Not too shabby
I just finished Vicki Petterson’s 3rd zodiac book and will now turn my attention to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight (yeah, I’m finally about to hop on the bandwagon, LoL!)
When I was a kid, mom would take us to the library every week and we’d come home with an armload of books. There were always books, magazines, and newspapers in the house. When I had my first apartment, the only furniture I had was a bed, a chair, and two bookshelves. I’m dumbfounded when I go to someone’s home for the first time and there are no books around. I can’t imagine life without being able to read!