Life has been a bit out of hand for a couple of weeks - things going on socially, a major writing project underway - and, of course, housetraining the new addition to the family! But I had a feeling that something was missing in all of it, something wasn't quite right. And, when I thought more about it, the missing item? Reading.
For the last few years I've kept a reading diary, noting down all the books I've read, my thoughts on them, why I've enjoyed them or disliked them, what techniques the writer has employed that have (in my opinion) worked or not. It's been a very instructive process and one I'd certainly recommend if you want to really get everything you can out of a book. But the diary pages have been tellingly empty over the last couple of weeks - apart from reference material to do with my current project, I've read very little indeed. And I don't see how writers can hope to write effectively without being readers too.
So - definitely a need to make time where I've been telling myself I haven't any. In recent years I've set myself writing goals for NaNoWriMo - never a novel I hasten to add, but different mini-projects to feel I'm at least in solidarity with those slaving away over their 50,000 word manuscripts. This year I'll be using the time though to catch up on the books sitting by the bed, waiting in my Kindle - and there's no shortage in either location; half a dozen by the end of November ...
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