“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” I trust Sai King, so figured I’d best honour my nomination from Steph!
Granted, for those of you that peruse my writing, cuddly bears are not often predisposed to make an appearance on my blog. Far from it, so don’t go getting ideas that such things will grow in frequency! Kind of cute though, even if I do say so amidst dark writings and… hang about this is reading, an integral part of writing.
The lovely Steph from Scale It Simple nominated me for this a couple of weeks ago, so I decided it was about time to get onto it. In fact I’ve seen it doing the rounds on several blogs so here is my effort.
Do you have a specific place for reading?
Good Lord no. I have a chair in the bedroom with good light, and a favourable school run where I go half an hour early to read in the car. The rest is very random and spontaneous; providing there is a book at hand.
Bookmarks or random pieces of paper?
Definitely bookmarks. The one I use most was a form tutors leaving gift, green leather with school name, class name and house. It’s still in pristine condition and has lived inside books since…hmm, too long indeed!
Can you just stop anywhere or must it be at the end of the chapter?
I prefer to stop at the end of a chapter, but unpredictable reading often leaves me unable to do that. I try and finish the first paragraph on the left hand page though. That means I never lose my place. It all works, providing I pick it up again quickly and get to chapters end before amnesia takes over.
Do you eat or drink while reading?
Never. Writing is another matter entirely however. Although, since I mainly drink decaffeinated coffee, even that is debatable!
Music or TV while reading?
Neither, I find reading absorbing, well if the book is any good that is! Music and TV don’t assist with that and are too distracting.
One book at a time or several?
Usually only one at a time. I try and finish one before starting another. Writing is totally the opposite as I have several projects on the go at any one moment…go figure that logic out.
Do you prefer to read at home or elsewhere?
Reading has no preference in terms of placement. If it’s quiet and the book is with me then as long as I am alone I can read. Not coffee shops though or public places because I people watch and writing mind takes over there. As I said above the school run tends to be the main slot at present.
Read out loudly or silently?
Always silent, except in my head. It gets quite loud in there.
Do you read ahead or skip pages?
Never in a novel. If it’s good then I don’t want spoilers. If it’s bad then I don’t want to know and just stop. Factual books are a different matter. Research can’t afford linear reading so I skim looking for what I want and then mark it with post-it notes.
Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
Break the spine? For shame and lazy reading. Terrible travesty to treat books with such disrespect. That said, mighty tomes are harder to keep intact. Definitely try to keep them looking new though too.
Do you write in your books?
In a fiction book that is just bad form, so no.
Factual books, and in particular science ones for my own research, are different. I will highlight key zones and annotate because chances are I will refer back to them often, and need to find the pertinent paragraphs quickly.
I would like to nominate the following excellent blog to have a go at this; if you already have done, or don’t do, this sort of thing then call it a shout out instead.
- Esme at The Recipe Hunter. Good friend and lovely blogger. If you are stuck for food ideas this is the place to be.
- Traci York, Writer. Another good friend who happens to be a witch. Plenty of photography, tarot reading and more.
- Gabe at (Almost) Unsalvageable. I recently met Gabe via a Facebook blog share group and he is a writer learning the tricks of the trade. Good networker and loves to engage bloggers. Some interesting posts and well worth looking up.
- Hayley at Just Another Blog. Another awesome blogger that loves social engagement. Very eclectic range of posts about music, TV, films and curly hair!
- Truly at Truly Unplugged. Very witty writer and one of the first bloggers to say “Hi” when I started out just over a year ago.
- Lucy at BlondeWriteMore. Another recent blogging friend that writes about writing, offering tips and support in the dark places where the words stumble and laugh at you. She is also an author with some tales to tell, if you so choose to look.
In fact I will throw this out to anyone that visits here as a bit of fun. Writers often get asked about writing, not often do we get asked about reading!