Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Reading? What's that?

A lot of young writers read a lot.

And the simple truth is - I don't.

I used to read though.  I used to read all the time.  Virtually all the time, that is.  I read the first three books of the Inheritance Cycle, I read the Lord of the Rings, I read all of the Chronicles of Narnia books.  And then I reread them.

I used to read a lot.  But I don't anymore.  Last year I might have read ten books - and I was shooting for twenty-five.  This year (or really last - still can hardly comprehend it's 2014), I've read five at most.  Let's see if I can count them on one hand.

Prisoner of Zenda
The Cross and the Switchblade
Beyond the Cross and the Switchblade

One hand.  And that's with two fingers missing.  Am I just that lazy?  And next year I have to read twenty-five books for school.  Well, that's it for me.  I'm doomed (to borrow the colloquialism).

But why?

For one thing, my environment changed in the past three years like it never had before.

I discovered the internet. O_O (And in the process the key to the future generation of socializing - emoticons)  Which has turned out not only to be the bane of my reading time, but also my writing time, my social time, my school time, and my existence in general.  But not my thinking time, which of course is always the prime of life as a teen still trying to figure out whether the Affordable Care Act is a token of the Devil or a gift from God (after months a year of contemplation, I've discovered it's somewhere in the middle, leaning towards the former - it's a pie in the face from our government).

But this is a bit sidetracked.  Three years ago I lived in a much different environment.  One in which there was a couch.  A bookshelf.  And a fireplace.  And a library about twenty minutes away.

At the time though you must understand - this was not a cool place (actually, considering we had neither gas nor electric heat and only a fireplace, it was a cool place).  At the time I hated libraries - and yet I loved reading books.

Sound confusing?

Don't look at me.  I was the victim to that delusional state of mind.

So I read on that little couch.  And I read.  And I read.  And then we moved and I stopped reading.  About that time was when I starting writing, however.

So obviously there's a big shift in ideals during this time of my life.  I went from feeding of others' work - a consumer - to (trying) to create - a producer.

I went from living a normal life, to wanting to help others live normal lives (through books - though I was at the time still quite disillusioned, as I believed writing was for the sake of it.  As if!)

And so I can firmly come to this conclusion.  My shifting ideals actually affected my behavior subconsciously.  I don't, however, believe that I should remain this way.  Therefore, maybe 2014 will be a better year for me in terms of reading.  Maybe I shall return to those frolicking meadows (the ones I believed I was in on the stormy days of childhood).  And once again return to being that fat happy consumer.

Although I don't think choosing Alice in Wonderland was quite the book to start off with in my return to preexistence . . .

Adios and vaya con dios
Robert

10 comments:

  1. Interesting that you should bring this up, as I, too, only read a few books in 2013. In fact, I had read double the amount of books this year by January 14th! Yeah, I think I went from reading two books to reading four books... I'll read more this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yes. Good for you. XD I hope to keep up with you. :P

      Delete
  2. I can understand how it happens. My volume of reading volume certainly dropped as I entered high school. But I love reading so much that I made a conscious effort to get back to it. And, by the way, you might feel tricked because you're reading fewer books, when, in reality, you're reading thicker, harder books than you used to. Just something to think about. :)

    Also, reading is integral to writing. You can't just turn off the switch of "being a consumer" as you say, in favor of becoming a producer. In order to create good stories, you must be both. Reading others' works feeds your mind so that you can create something worthwhile. The more you read, the more you learn about stories, writing, and life. And a writer should never stop learning. So, reading is important. I wish you success with increasing your reading this year! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to say "volume of reading volume." :D

      Delete
    2. That's possible. I've read more nonfiction or historical fiction, although I don't like that kind as much.

      Yes, of course. :D Reading is definitely a part of being a writer - you can't entirely separate them, but to some degree you can limit them. And the same with what I said about being a consumer or a producer - I would never change entirely, but the general focus of my efforts might shift.

      Volume of reading volume? Yes! The volume of reading volumes! :P Yeah, I understand.

      Delete
    3. And, of course, it's your writing. You are the only one who knows how it will work best. :)

      Hey! No mocking me! :D JK

      Delete
    4. Oops, sorry! Excuse my manners! How dare I mock a reader? :P

      Delete
    5. Thanks for following my blog, by the way! I appreciate that!

      Delete
    6. Yes, no problem! I've been reading it for a while now, but only today did I notice I wasn't officially following.

      Delete

Have a question? Comment? Ramble? I love to hear it all!