Reading time vs Writing time

Barb D · Jul 28, 2009

How much time do you spend reading in comparison to the time you spend writing? How much of that time is reading books that are not related to what you're writing (genre familiarity, direct research etc.)?

Do you ever feel guilty for just...reading?

Lisa Cox · Jul 28, 2009

I never feel guilty for reading.

Arisa81 · Jul 28, 2009

I never feel guilty for reading either. I read a ton. Yeah, maybe more than I spend writing. They are both my biggest passions though.

Puma · Jul 28, 2009

I spend a lot more time overall writing than reading for pleasure these days. I read when I'm at break points in the writing and I usually read something totally unrelated to the genre(s) I'm writing.

That's with the exception of SYW here - I do get some reading in there. Puma

The Lonely One · Jul 28, 2009

I'm trying to read more, I really am.

Then again...

I'm trying to write more, I really am...

JamieFord · Jul 28, 2009

For my first book I spent about 6 months reading (research) compared to 3 months writing. These days I try for about a 50/50 split. It's easy to get lost in "research"...

Claudia Gray · Jul 28, 2009

I read for pleasure virtually every day, at least briefly. The most common times for me to read are on the subway or at bedtime. Sometimes I curl up with something for a little while on a lazy weekend morning, too.

willietheshakes · Jul 28, 2009

I get paid to read, so it's a win-win.

JamieMT · Jul 28, 2009

I read for pleasure at lunch, and just before bed. Sometimes I sneak a little extra in on breaks.

I write when I have time at work, and in the evening around chores & other pleasurable pursuits (like watching TV, & surfing the net).

So probably equal time all averaged out, except when I'm on a reading "binge week" - in which case writing gets shorted. I don't feel too guilty though, since they're interrelated.

scarletpeaches · Jul 28, 2009

willietheshakes said:
I get paid to read, so it's a win-win.

Bitch.

Anyway. I feel guilty for hardly reading these days. I've been writing so much that it's fallen by the wayside. Once I'm done with these edits I'm throwing myself back into reading with a vengeance.

It's research in a way. Fun, too. Educational. Entertaining. Enlightening. All the E-words.

And I won't feel guilty one ickle bit. A writer should read more than I've been doing these past few months.

KellyAssauer · Jul 28, 2009

Barb D said:
How much time do you spend reading in comparison to the time you spend writing? How much of that time is reading books that are not related to what you're writing (genre familiarity, direct research etc.)?

Do you ever feel guilty for just...reading?

That's a trick question!
I always feel guilty!
(they tell me I won't: with time and enough therapy =P

More often than not, I'll read when I'm in re-writing mode
- which is a lot here lately-
but when I get stuck, I'll look for inspiration, and it usually
only takes a few pages before I'm re-charged and back to editing.

NicoleMD · Jul 28, 2009

Me + Hammock + Book = Happiness.

Right now I'm slogging through the first Harry Potter book in spanish, but as soon as that's done, I'll be reading a lot more. Never feel guilty one bit. Reading inspires me to write, and vice versa.

Nicole

Smish · Jul 28, 2009

Hmm. As others have said, I never feel guilty about reading. However, sometimes, I do read more than I write. Yesterday evening, for example, I had a terrible headache and didn't feel much like writing. So, I did a little bit of editing on my novel (I edit a bit as I go along... I know, I know, you're not 'supposed' to do that), and then spent a couple hours reading. I do that a lot when I've had a particularly long day: edit a bit, and then read.

Smish

Matera the Mad · Jul 28, 2009

I read, therefore I write. What's wrong with reading?

The Lonely One · Jul 28, 2009

You know, I used to consider myself "not much of a reader," scoffing at the time I might've wasted not writing.

What a fool I was.

seun · Jul 29, 2009

I like to relish a book I'm reading so I read less than I used to in an effort to make it last longer.

RonjaCecilie · Jul 29, 2009

When I can't think of anything to write down, I read. So I use quite a lot of time reading. Its about 40% witing, 60% witing.

Syn Tactic · Jul 29, 2009

Does spending time here count as reading?

I am sure that my life would be so much different if I hadn't spent so much time reading as a child. I wouldn't be here, thinking about ways to improve my writing that's for sure. I am one of those who believes that reading widely and often is a strong indication of one's potential for success as a writer. I really do think the two go hand in hand, but of course there are as many paths to writing as there are writers.

Alpha Echo · Jul 29, 2009

Lately, I haven't been doing much of either, and I don't feel guilty at all. Well, a little guilty that I haven't been writing much, but I fell into a slump. No, I wouldn't call it a slump exactly. I just lost momentum on one thing and haven't quite been inspired for something new, though I have a few starts on stuff here and there.

I've been more busy...living and loving my new life. Once that falls into a routine of some sort, though, I'm sure I'll do both more often.

errantruth · Jul 29, 2009

I find I can't read anything that doesn't apply to my writing while I'm writing. Either the theme, atmosphere or a stylistic answer to a conundrum I'm facing, etc. I just can't hold the book otherwise. It's odd, because I've never been able to start and put down before unless I was seriously bored out of my mind.

Alan Yee · Jul 29, 2009

This summer I've admittedly done more reading than writing. It does make me feel a little guilty, but reading helps me relax, plus it helps me learn about writing based on how other people do it.

Libbie · Jul 31, 2009

Barb D said:
How much time do you spend reading in comparison to the time you spend writing? How much of that time is reading books that are not related to what you're writing (genre familiarity, direct research etc.)?

Do you ever feel guilty for just...reading?

I never feel guilty for just reading. Reading is awesome. It's always been my favorite thing to do.

Most of my "reading" is done via audiobook, while I'm walking to or from work, or getting in some conditioning walks on weekends. I also read regular ol' paper books every night before bed. I typically have several books going at once, and whichever I feel like picking up that night is the one I'll make progress on. I don't write the same way. If I had more than one WIP going at a time, I'd never finish anything.

nitaworm · Jul 31, 2009

I read in between writing. Takes me about 4 months to write something and I read for about 2 months between while I am developing the next manuscript. It also doesn't take me long to read (maybe in a weekend I can finish a 500 page book - if its good). So I usually get in quite a bit of reading. Now when I am writing - I don't read anything.

Kalyke · Jul 31, 2009

I read a lot more non-fiction than fiction, even though I write fiction.

Zipotes · Jul 31, 2009

My two favourite things in life...reading and writing.
I read for over an hour before bed and over an hour when I wake up in the morning. Never feel guilty about it!

Reading time vs Writing time

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