I have always liked reading, it came easily to me as a kid, which probably helped the matter. Also, I love a good story and I love to learn – both things are definitely aided by reading, so all the more reason for me to enjoy it! But I had never made reading a priority, especially when I no longer had any required reading after graduating college. During that time, I used to marvel at people who read 12 books a year – how on Earth did they accomplish that?!
Fast forward to now, I’m intentional about both writing and reading, and have a hearty (more like runaway) TBR list. While I still read just for a good story, or to learn something new, I’m also reading to expose myself to more good literature. I know that the more I read and expose myself to, the better my writing will get; I guess you could say that I’m hoping to be more ‘well-read’.
But reading takes time, time I could be using to write my novel. I never want anyone to assume that I just sit down to write whenever I want to. I have to fight for every bit of time that I put towards my writing. Some of it is easier to capture (ex: choosing to write instead of browsing Pinterest when the kids nap), while some of it takes more determination and requires me checking back in with my priorities (ex: choosing between writing or watching a class on early childhood education in anticipation for homeschooling).
To write, or to read, that is the question. Currently while I’m working on a writing project, reading takes a hiatus. I dedicate all the time that I am painstakingly carving out of my schedule, and put it towards completing my first draft.
Not reading while I’ve got a working project on also keeps my writing style completely mine, not some hybrid of mine and that of whatever author I’m reading at the moment. Maybe this is me acting with extreme caution, but I know how easy it is for my writing style to slip towards that of whatever I’m reading. And I wanted to avoid weird changes in writing style, which would be one more thing I’d have to edit out later.
My TBR plan was to complete the first draft of this novel, then read all six books in Michael J Sullivan’s Legends of the First Empire series (on Goodreads here), which I am SO ready for! Then, I was given an ARC … and had to put writing on hold to finish reading that on time. Unfortunately for my novel, I had already put writing on hold to get this blog up and running, then almost immediately after that I had to put all my time towards reading the ARC (you can read the ARC review post here).
Now, both are completed it’s back to only writing until I finish this draft! Then, I can binge Sullivan’s series … and having just received the sixth and final book in the mail, I am so tempted to set my novel aside again. But, again, priorities. And right now, it’s finishing that first draft.
I’m curious how others handle this. Do you also put off reading while you write, or do you just continue on with both at the same time? Leave a comment below to let me know!