Curl Up and Write » reading

Reading Makes Me Write

Trina — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:04:28 +0000

I love to read. Give me a book and I’ll devour it in a day—hours if its really good. Another thing I’ll do if a book is really good—stop reading it to write. Some books are so beautifully written that it just makes me put it down and write my own beautiful words.

The same holds true for badly written books. Sometimes a book is so badly written, just plain awful, that it makes me think, “How did this book get published? My book is nowhere near this bad, let me get my butt off this couch and get back to the computer!”

Books—bad or good—give me the motivation to write. It makes me want to do what the author has done—finish their book. And that’s what I’m doing—finishing my book. Reading does so many great things for writers. Reading good books helps you become a better writer, and reading bad books helps you to see what you don’t want to write. I read widely and often—I think every writer should. Reading teaches me so many things, but mostly, reading teaches me to write.

You Gotta Make Time for Both

Trina — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:34:48 +0000

My mama has been sick these past couple of days and now she’s in the hospital. Her spirits are good, mainly because the hospital is like staying in a four-star hotel. So I brought my laptop, (of course) and while she naps I’ve been getting some writing done. The book is shaping up nicely, I need to conduct one more interview and then it should be smooth sailing from here on out. That is until I start this process all over again…

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. I’m starting to get a routine down, writing more during the day and reading in the evenings. I find that reading before bedtime relaxes me, much more than zoning out in front of the TV ever could. One thing I’m noticing lately, is that a lot of writers are saying that they don’t have time to read.

I’ve been through a few dry spells myself, maybe going a month without reading a new book, but let me tell you friends—IT ISN’T GOOD FOR YOUR WRITING. You simply CANNOT improve at your craft if you’re not reading. And not just in your genre either, you have to read widely, to really stretch your brain to accept new ideas. And that means sometimes reading books that you don’t care for either. Reading badly written books helps you learn what not to do. We all have that inner editor inside of us that lets us know when we spot something remarkable—either remarkably good or remarkably bad—in someone else’s writing. It’s good to switch it off and simply allow yourself to read for pleasure, (I’ve never been able to do that by the way,) but keeping the editor on helps you to grow as a writer. I learned from reading a certain book, (Saving CeCe Honeycutt, by Beth Hoffman, a delicious read by the way) how to weave in backstory and flashbacks, that it doesn’t stop the action and continues to move the story forward. This woman is a master at this, and by reading her work, I too can learn how to propel my story forward.

“But Katrina, by reading someone else’s work, I feel like I won’t be able to hear my own voice and soon will copy the author’s voice and style.”

Nonsense. I may get a ton of writers to disagree with me on this, but for me reading while writing inspires me to do two things: 1)to keep writing and learning so my book can be just as well-written and thought-provoking as the novel I’m currently reading or 2) pat myself on the back that I’ve grown enough as a writer to not write the complete garbage that I’m reading.

Reading means growth. It’s as simple as that. And by denying yourself the pleasure of indulging in a good book, it’s like not taking your multi-vitamin, your body is going to lack the vital nutrients it needs to function. The same goes for your writing, you can’t function nearly as well without getting your daily dose of reading. We’re all busy, and we’re all on different stages in our writing. Some of us have a new novel to promote and we’re out traveling and speaking and signing ourselves into exhaustion. Some of us are like me, and revising our books trying to get them into the best shape possible, or we’re starting a new project and giddy with excitement over the new possibilities that await us. Whatever stage you’re in you gotta make time for both, reading and your writing. The two go hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly or Beyonce and hair weave…you get the point. So get reading!

The Waiting Game

Trina — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:55:35 +0000

Most of a writer’s job is learning how to wait. Writing the book—at least for me—is the easy part. It’s the constant waiting, that’s hard. (And the marketing and publicity too, but we’ll tackle that another day…) We have to wait until we hear if our book is sold, we have to wait until the book gets published—which normally takes a year or more. It takes patience to be a writer, and if you lack it, then you need to develop it or you won’t last. Here are the three things that help me wait until I get the news:

Write Your Next Book

I think it’s great to give yourself mental space between books. You want to give yourself time to get your old characters out of your head and let your new characters develop. The amount of time of course varies from person to person, but I like to give myself at least six weeks. Sometimes eight. But after that it’s important to start writing your next book. Especially when you’re waiting to hear back from your editor or agent. Writing your next book gives you something to focus on. What if the call comes and it’s not the news you were expecting? In case of bad news—and after you’ve bawled your eyes out—you have a new project to throw your energy into. And if good news falls your way? Even better. Your publisher will be thrilled that you have another book waiting for them once your new book is completed. In either situation, you grow as a writer—and that’s something we all aspire to do.

Take a Vacation

Nothing gets your mind off your troubles then sand between the toes. Get out of the house and take a trip with the family—even if just for the weekend. Being in new surroundings with the ones you love shifts the focus to the people that matter most in your life. But whatever you do—leave the writing at home. It takes the support of the family to be a great writer, and with that being said, you owe it to them to concentrate on them while away. That means mentally unplugging from the worries of your book. It means not checking your phone every five minutes. And it absolutely means no whining. Trust me, no one wants to hear (again), why you haven’t heard any news about your book. You’ve told them a thousand times so give them a break and yourself a break and pipe down. Enjoy your family. Thrust yourself into a new, fun activity. And relax with a great book. Speaking of great books…

Read

I can’t stress enough how important reading is to a writer. But while you’re playing the waiting game, try to read just for the enjoyment of it. Remember back in the day when you read a book and just appreciated that it was a good book? You didn’t highlight flashback scenes, or underline the lyrical prose in the book, you just read it. It can be hard to switch off our writer caps, and just become a reader. But it’s worth a shot to try.

Hey writers what do you guys do while waiting for (good) news?

The Next Generation

Trina — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I’m so glad that my daughter loves to read. Well to be more exact, loves to be read to. I have to read to her at least three times a day, and going to the library renders the same excitement as a trip to Chuck E Cheese.

To say that my husband and I started early would be an understatement. We started reading to my daughter when she was in the womb. Sometimes I would read whatever book I was reading aloud, other times I would pick out an interesting Bible story. I can’t help but think that the early reading made a huge impact on her love of books. It’s interesting to see this new generation of children discovering some of the same stories that we loved when we were little.

Some of her favorites are:

Anything by Dr. Seuss, but especially Cat in a Hat.

Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop by Nicola Moon.

And The Adventures of Isabel, by Ogden Nash. (I have to admit, I picked this one because it had my daughter’s name, just with different spelling.)

What books do you read to your children?

Stop, Brain Stop!

Trina — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:24 +0000

Source: swarthmore.edu

I’m trying to get my brain to stop dissecting books while I read and to just enjoy them like I used to before I started writing. Back then, when I read something I might know it was bad, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Now, my brain is screaming–”Don’t show, tell!” “No, don’t go into another flashback scene…Nooo!”

It works in a good way too. Like the book I’m reading now, my brain screams, “Why can’t you write like this?” “That scene was great! How did they do that?” My fingers itch for my yellow highlighter but I shake the feeling away and just keep reading.

For all you writers out there, how do you tell your brain to shut up so you can just read for pleasure? Or is telling our brain to hush something us writers are not supposed to do?

Routine

Trina — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:36 +0000

I’m finished with my line edits for Unbeweavable, and now I can get back to my routine. I like to write during the day, and read in the evening. There are scores of books on my list–too many to count–but I plan to read them all in due time.

Some authors don’t like to read while they write–they say it messes up their flow, and they lose their voice. I haven’t noticed yet how reading affects my work-in-progress, but reading in the evening helps me relax. It’s just something I need to do to get that brain of mine to calm down after working it so hard.

That’s my routine. What do you do to unwind?