I figured out a reason that I have done so little writing in the past 5 or 6 years. I’ve been doing lots of reading. When my imagination is tangled up in someone else’s story there doesn’t seem space for my own stories to develop. My imagination has been captured and I can only free it by finishing the book. Unfortunately without a book in process I end up feeling at loose ends and bored. What I need to realize is that boredom is not a bad thing. When I have no book to read I have to exert myself to find something to do. When I have no book to read I do more sewing, more organizing, more creating.
What all of this indicates to me is that I need to shift my book reading behavior. Rather than racing through books to get to the end and then grabbing another book, I need to savor a book. I need to make rules about how much reading I can do in a day. I don’t need to be checking out stacks of books each time I go to the library, just one or maybe two good ones. In short I need to regulate my reading so that I have more time in my life for other things.
It is a matter of prioritization. I need to decide which things are most important to me and do those first. Reading a book is rarely going to rank at the top of that list. Unless it’s Lois MacMaster Bujold. Pretty much everything goes on hold when Bujold has a new book out.
heehee – you sound just like me! Here, lemme attempt to throw a monkey wrench at you. It’s good for your children to see you reading and enjoing it! (Well, as long as your book addict behaviour is kept under control, which it honestly sounds like you’re making good plans for.)
I’m trying to organize my life so I can have time to read again… I’ve never heard of Bujold, am going to look her up online – any other reccomendations?
Oh yes, you must read about Miles Vorkosigan. 🙂 There is 🙂
I’d also reccommend Eric Flint’s 1630s series. 1632,1633, and 1634: The Galilieo Affair. There are more 1634 books coming out.
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. 🙂 Social and political satire in a fantasy setting.
A good place to start is Howard’s list of books at http://www.schlockmercenary.com/sff-index.html
I’m not surprised you have a hard time making space in your life for reading. I never seem to have much time for it when I have a baby in the house.
Bujold is excellent. I recommend her to everyone.
Mercedes Lackey (whom I’ve been reading lately) is very hit and miss. Some books are really good, some bored me so much that I didn’t even finish them. Shadow of the Lion which she co-authored is really good. I’m diving into the sequel This Rough Magic now.
The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn et al is long but fascinating. Of course my humanities background may have affected my enjoyment of that book. I loved the way it matched my history of art classes from college.
Terry Pratchett – light, funny, occasionally insightful.
David Brin fascinating stories, good characters.
I could keep listing, but I need to stop somewhere.
Yes, there is no resisting Bujold, especially Miles. On the other hand, that might help you, because I’ve found for me that after reading the Vorkosigan stuff, other books aren’t nearly as interesting and it’s hard to get into them. They just seem so lifeless without Miles’s wackiness!
Heehee! You’re almost the inverse of me. I’ve been doing plenty of writing in the last few years, but I keep reflecting that I’m not doing enough reading. At least, not reading enough fiction. I read a lot online, obviously. 🙂 But mostly blogs and web articles. It’s not like reading novels.
Ever since going college, I haven’t read as much as I did when I was in high school. In fact, I haven’t written as much as I did when I was in high school, either. So I associate my lowered reading with my lowered writing. I managed to get the latter back up by force of will, though.
I’ve had difficulty getting hold of Bujold books in my part of the world. Recently some book shops have started stocking them and my local library has a few, but I’m still missing chunks of storyline, especially near the beginning.
That said, I’ve just finished The Curse of Chalion. While it tends to be more serious than the Miles Vorkosigan books it’s just as good. It’s also twice as long and kept me out of trouble (and productivity) for nearly a week. 😉
Just think of all the times you can read where you wouldn’t be able to do anything else:
Doctor appointments, waiting for the kids to be let out of school, etc. Read during those times, and you get a lot of reading in.
Time for Reading
Dream on. . . For a mother of young children the time spent waiting in a doctor’s office is usually spent trying to ride herd on several kids. When waiting for older kids to get out of school, she is trying to maintain peace in the back seat because the little kids are bored. If you try bathroom reading, the whisper of each page turning is accompanied by the pounding on the door and the chorus of “Mom, Mooooom!” or the ominous silence that is even more horrendous.
The best time for reading with kids in the house is when they are asleep and that eventually leads to sleep deprivation and reading satisfaction.