Reading for Writing

I used to read voraciously. Over the past several years my reading has dwindled to a handful of websites, blurbs from the newspaper, and rarely a novel. I can point to having kids as a reason this has happened and there would certainly be some truth to that, but that's not the whole story.

I've read comments from any number of people (people in a position to know) that say that one of the biggest components of being a writer is reading. (Some have even suggested that a writer ought to spend half his time reading and half writing.) You read to see another writer's style, how they handle certain situations. You read your favorite genre and your least favorite. You read to research, research, research, to keep up on current events, and to expand your general knowledge.

I always feel that I need a good chunk of time before sitting down and writing, and those chunks of time can be few and far between. Reading, on the other hand, fits into those smaller windows; it's much easier to pick up and put down something you're consuming than it is something you're creating. And since reading is essential for writing, by squeezing in some word consumption at various intervals throughout the day, I'm helping move the grand goal forward.

Awhile ago I renewed my subscription to National Geographic. I read it cover to cover every month. The variety of topics discussed always develop into an idea or two for a story, which I then make sure to throw into an electronic document so that more thought can be put into it at some yet-to-be-determined date. So I've at least had that going for me.

A few weeks ago I picked up a novel that I had some interest in reading ever since my wife told me I might like it after she had read it for her book club. I think part of me was afraid to read fiction because I might realize the stuff I write is complete garbage compared to a real author's work (and therein is the "whole story" as mentioned from the first paragraph). Well I did start it and I purposely picked it up during free minutes here and there and during my lunch break at work. This felt good because I was working on polishing two habits at once: better use of those random free moments and reading for writing.

I also thought it might be worthwhile to share my feelings about the book I read, Life of Pi. Here is my review of the novel.