I could read for hours...

 

Has being a writer changed the way you read? What are you reading now?

Books are a magic portal. I read that somewhere, I can’t say where. Probably a meme. But it’s true. I learned this as a little girl growing up in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio where things were so tough outside my window, but everything I ever dared to dream in between the pages of a good book.  I’ve come to rely on their magic my whole life. For escapism, for learning, and sometimes as my only friend (high school was tough).

If I were trapped on desert island and given a choice of one luxury item to bring, it would have to be a book. A big one, like maybe the Stand, Insomnia, or It, by Stephen King. That man knows how to write a big book. Something with at least a thousand pages or more. I feel like if I can fall into a good story, any other thing is manageable.

While being a writer has changed how I read, it has not changed what I read. I still like my reading the way I like my music, boundless, as long as it touches me in some way. Whether it’s just a fun story filled with adventure, car chases, and fight scenes. Or sappy love stories that make me want to fall in love. Or a dark thriller, the kind that keeps you up at night side-eyeing that open closet door. I’m all in.

As a writer, it’s hard not be in editor mode when reading, especially if the book is not the best. I’m rewriting scenes, rearranging paragraphs, wondering if the writer has a writer’s group, and trying not give up on the story.  My writer brain always has questions, or suggestions. Like, why did they do that? Or was it really necessary to describe that tree, again? Or, my favorite, how did they come up with that description? It’s so good, I shouldn’t even bother to write anymore. Just joking, kind of

I’ve never accomplished the art of the do not finish (DNF). I can’t. I don’t know if it’s because I’m afraid I’m going to miss something or optimism that the writer will somehow turn it around, or fear that the anxiety of not knowing how the story ends would simply drive me insane. But once started this train does not stop. Yes, I do know about skimming, or skipping to the end. And, yes, I’ve tried that. But I’ve learned that it’s pointless for me. I still end up backtracking to see how the writer mucked it up so bad anyway. So, I persist to the bitter end.

 Great writing often equals inspiration, but as writers we must be careful not to be too inspired, if you know what I mean. For that reason, I try to stay away from reading books too close to my current work-in-progress.

 

Currently, I’m working on the sequel to my debut novel, Hurt Mountain. So, it’s a great time to read one of my favorite authors, Delia Pitts, mystery, Trouble in Queenstown. A story that I know will inspire me with its greatness, in all the best ways possible.