I woke up to a dark, dreary Sunday, the rain drumming against the window. It was a cozy, curl-up-in-bed kind of day. Even better, we had no plans. My kids were watching a movie; my husband otherwise occupied. I had two hours to myself.
My dilemma (dilemma? you ask. How could that be a dilemma?): Do I read or do I write?
Every author I’ve ever talked to, every author who has written a “how-to-write” book that I’ve read has said the same thing and I believe it: to be a good writer, you need to read. A lot. It sounds obvious and it sounds fun. I love to read–otherwise I never would have ventured into writing. If that’s my “homework,” bring it on!
Except if you recall from my earlier post about time, I have to steal it for writing. Here, suddenly is an unexpected chunk–a good two hours. I could get a lot done on my own book. Or I could enjoy reading a book but get nowhere on my own. Those of you who have taken on long projects can appreciate the frustration when the task seems to drag on with no end in sight. Therefore, any extra minute I can devote to my writing would help me in the long run.
But I need to read–to appreciate other writers’ styles, learn how they develop character, study the language they use–so how do I balance it?
Simple, you say. One hour each.
No… not so simple. I am the type of person, disciplined in the rest of my life, but impossibly undisciplined in my reading. If I enjoy a book (the goal of reading) I cannot, no matter my good intentions, put the damn thing down. (Example: last summer I referenced the first Harry Potter book to create an 11th-birthday surprise for my oldest daughter–one page, one page is all I needed to read; I didn’t stop until I finished the 7th novel. Last week I stayed up late into the night finishing an Agatha Christie mystery in one sitting. I got five hours of sleep.)
On Sunday, then, did I read or did I write?
I read.
Which means you may have to wait an extra day at the end of this writing process to read my un-put-downable novel. Hope that’s ok 🙂