At the moment, I am broadening my horizons and focussing on reading, reading, reading. I used to have a narrow set of authors and genre I would read. For the last year, I have been widening my reading spectrum to authors and genres I never would have even taken a first glance at before. As someone who wants to write, it is an interesting journey to see how authors work across a wide range of topics. It is curious to see how authors engage their readers with their writing style, plot and structure. It is invaluable to see how others translate the ideas from their heads into something on paper (albeit edited and modified with external influence). In some cases, it is even amusing to wonder how an author got published...
I am currently reading 'The Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. I know it is an 'oldie', but who would have thought I would enjoy reading a story about the construction of a cathedral. I got this book on the recommendation of a dear friend (who is an extreme reading enthusiast ), but I was skeptical. Only a chapter into the book, I was captivated. This is what writing is all about.
Engaging the reader into the world you are weaving right from the word go. This is what I want to achieve one day... I hope.
Some might say reading is not productive. I beg to differ. I am learning invaluable lessons and skills from the books I read which I can keep in mind while I write. My ability to write (thanks to the demands of children) is intermittent at best for the moment. I like to write undisturbed. A book, I can pick up, grab 5 minutes of, and put back down.
Writing for me is a focussed process. 5 minutes isn't enough, 15 minutes isn't enough. It's one of my quirks. To make up for the lack of time to write, I therefore read.
