Balancing Reading and Writing

[BetaWolf]

I love ritual, so I see your point, Chel. I'm not published yet, either, but I always read fiction in terms of what I would have done differently. Well, non-fiction,

Things like weddings are pretty ripe for showcasing the culture that you are writing about, from what their religion (if any) is like to how families get along.

 

[EloiseA]

I try to put a little distance between the times of reading and writing because I often find the tone and imagery of books I'm reading influences what I'm trying to write. (Works by Cormac McCarthy or Kelly Link both haunted me for weeks, couldn't get those rhythms out of my head.)

So I read in the evenings, work on drafting fiction in the mornings. In the afternoons I revise or edit work.

 

[Ogma]

I try to be disciplined about both reading and writing. Writing takes precedence and the best hours are devoted to it. I read when I am too tired to write, watch television when I am too tired to read, and sleep when I am too tired to watch telly. I generally have two books on the go at any one time - a paper book and an ebook on my phone. I can read when I waiting for somebody in the car, having a coffee alone etc. I am surprised by how much reading I get through with the phone. The pages seem to melt away very quickly, though sometimes it can feel a bit bitty.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Nope, I can't mix the two (if the reading is fiction and novel length, non-fiction and small bits are fine)

I'm a man, so I can't multi-task. probably .

The problem is that I generally get very absorbed in reading and will in all likelihood directly transplant some of the style and all sorts of things I like directly into what I'm writing. I'm adamant in trying to keeping the writing 'pure', and focused on what has come deep within me.

i.e. If I read a Dickens halfway through a writing project, I'm sure it will transmute and become Dickensian.

I now have a big pile of fiction that I will read as soon as the first draft is finished (soon...soon my pretties...)

 

[Bowler1]

but when something niggles around in my brain, wants to be written, I can't concentrate on the reading until it is on paper, or ensconced in electronic form, which might take several days;

Said better than I could ever have, thank you, Chrispy.

I only have so much spare time, so my reading has suffered because of my writing. But I still read when and where I can.

Reading books is harder now because I understand more of sentance structure, so I read with a critical eye, as we all should if we want to write. Good or bad books, it doesn't matter, we should be questioning what we read and comparing this to what we're doing and by doing so we learn. I'm slowly making my way through an Ian Bank's novel again, and it's again for some enjoyment but mostly to see how he put his words together. He does string his words into very long sentances, yet when I look at these long lines I can't fault what he has done. It's not my style, and I wouldn't do it his way, but it's good to see.

In my experience, reading becomes harder as your tolerance for badly written stuff is much less, but your enjoyment of well written books is vastly increased.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

I'm finding it a real struggle to get decent reading time in, since I moved back into the city centre and don't have two hours a day worth of commuting! But still, am trying to find time as I think it's crucial for any writer to be reading constantly, as Mr. King says in 'On Writing'. Just to keep ourselves in language is not only important from an unconscious absorption, but also to stay aware of genre trends, styles and so on.

 

[nightdreamer]

but when something niggles around in my brain, wants to be written, I can't concentrate on the reading until it is on paper, or ensconced in electronic form, which might take several days;

That is inarguably true. When an idea drops into my head, it has be documented before going on with anything else. It doesn't need to be developed; an outline will usually do, or just fragments, depending on what it is. I can't count the number of times I've gotten up in the middle of the night to record some fantastic idea that came in a dream. Those moments put everything else, not just reading, on the back burner.

 

[Bowler1]

I can't count the number of times I've gotten up in the middle of the night to record some fantastic idea that came in a dream.

It would want to be a cracking idea to get me out of my pit in the middle of the night! I need my beauty sleep, as in, I really need my beauty sleep...

 

[nightdreamer]

It would want to be a cracking idea to get me out of my pit in the middle of the night!

I'm probably just more obsessive-compulsive than you. Don't worry about it.