OK, so I've been gone for a while ... and it's not because I've been reading the three books I mentioned in my last post. But I have been reading. Yeah me!
In the past week, I've read Eleanor & Park by @Rainbow Rowell (such tender, memorable characters), A Matter of Life and Seth by @Tom Llewellyn (fun mystery set in beautiful Tacoma, Wash.), and Dissected by @Megan Bostic (a portrayal of teen life without all the flowers and sunshine most adults want to pretend teen life is filled with). I also read my first @James Patterson book, Honeymoon (a quick read that helped me understand how he's made his millions).
The books were all notable in their own ways -- but the real groundbreaking news for me? I read all these books on my iPad.
I love books. I love paper and fancy bindings. I love cover art and cool typography. I love the way books smell and feel. I love letting them live on my bookshelf, like friends who've earned my respect and love.
Then, something happened.
I was on vacation and it made sense -- since I was already taking my iPad -- to download a book or two. Sure, there was no actual page-turning going on, but I could adjust.
Then, I realized, I could up the font size and read the books while I worked out on the elliptical or treadmill -- something I do pretty religiously. Suddenly my six hours of weekly workout time were six hours of workout + reading time. I love books but I really love multi-tasking.
Have I sold out?
I don't think so. Great stories are great stories, no matter how they're read. The important thing is that I'm finally finding the time to do just that - READ.
I'll let you know if this reading-while-sweating trend continues.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Reading Makes For Better Writers
It's the only consistent advice offered to writers: If you want to be a better writer, spend more time reading and writing.
Confession: I have no problem with the writing. I do it nearly every day. I write for work. I write for fun. I write poetry that will never see the light of day and I write books that tween girls will devour.
Reading, on the other hand. I don't do enough of that.
Oh, I read. I read the newspaper and magazines and student papers and editor's notes. I occasionally find time for a NYT bestseller or some mindless chick lit. But the last time I read a classic? I can't even remember.
I used to feel a little guilty about that, but it's something with which I'm coming to peace. For starters, I lead a pretty crazy life. Freelancing means I'm writing for different clients nearly everyday. Teaching means I'm busy developing class lesson plans and grading papers. Parenthood means I'm driving kids to and from sporting events and dance classes and running forgotten books to school, oftentimes at a moment's notice.
My reading time doesn't come in the form of hours or entire afternoons. If I'm lucky, I can catch four pages here or another five pages there. Weighty literature can be difficult to digest when consumed in tiny bites over a period of weeks or even months.
Right now, my life is more suited to short stories. I love reading interviews in GQ or Outdoor magazine (both really well written). And I adore reading the sort of books I like to write: middle grade novels and young adult.
To that end, I challenge myself to read these books between now and Jan. 1, 2014:
WONDER by R. J. Palacio
OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon M. Draper
LEVERAGE by Joshua C. Cohen
Confession: I have no problem with the writing. I do it nearly every day. I write for work. I write for fun. I write poetry that will never see the light of day and I write books that tween girls will devour.
Reading, on the other hand. I don't do enough of that.
Oh, I read. I read the newspaper and magazines and student papers and editor's notes. I occasionally find time for a NYT bestseller or some mindless chick lit. But the last time I read a classic? I can't even remember.
I used to feel a little guilty about that, but it's something with which I'm coming to peace. For starters, I lead a pretty crazy life. Freelancing means I'm writing for different clients nearly everyday. Teaching means I'm busy developing class lesson plans and grading papers. Parenthood means I'm driving kids to and from sporting events and dance classes and running forgotten books to school, oftentimes at a moment's notice.
My reading time doesn't come in the form of hours or entire afternoons. If I'm lucky, I can catch four pages here or another five pages there. Weighty literature can be difficult to digest when consumed in tiny bites over a period of weeks or even months.
Right now, my life is more suited to short stories. I love reading interviews in GQ or Outdoor magazine (both really well written). And I adore reading the sort of books I like to write: middle grade novels and young adult.
To that end, I challenge myself to read these books between now and Jan. 1, 2014:
WONDER by R. J. Palacio
OUT OF MY MIND by Sharon M. Draper
LEVERAGE by Joshua C. Cohen
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