I have had to sacrifice many things for my writing. Television is one of those. Unfortunately, so is reading.
You will have heard from established authors that reading
is essential. I don’t dispute that; reading helps me to see what other writers use for techniques in their story telling. The difference is, the established authors are typically writing as their sole job. For me, working full time plus my volunteer activities, family activities and writing, reading has taken a back seat.
And yes, I miss it. I’m also afraid I’m starting to lose the ability to sit for long periods of time to actually read. When I am able to open a book, it’s usually a session no longer than thirty minutes.
I have devices I can read on. My phone. My iPad. It isn’t the same as a book though. I guess I need to dig into my book shelves (which are not easily accessible right now) and pull out some old favorites. Maybe I will start from the beginning with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld again. Or perhaps I will reread the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Time to get back into the reading saddle. I’m sure my writing will benefit from it.
How about you? Are you able to carve time out of your day/week/month to enjoy reading?
