The more you write the less you read

[Vanessa99]

Does anyone here find that the more into writing they get, the less reading you do? Not because you don't have time to read, you just don't want to as much. Or if you do read when your working on a novel the book you read inspires you to start an entirley new story? Reading prevents me from finishing novels quickly, or at all. Anyone else have this problem? If so how do you keep yourself motivated to finish the story you were working on and not start another? Can you separate the realms of writing and reading from one another?

[macalicious731]

I find I'm reading less not because of writing, but because I'm finding less and less novels I enjoy reading. When I find a good book, I can spend the entire day reading it until I've finished. I spent last summer doing exactly this, and finished close to 50 novels.

I suppose it's the college scene that's cutting into my reading (and writing time) but I'm awaiting a stash from Amazon I hope will pull back into a good book.

[Jamesaritchie]

I think steady reading is essential to good writing. I just don't think one can be done without the other.

No, reading doesn't make a novel take any longer to write. Why should it? Whether I read or not, I'm still going to spend the same hours on the novel. Same time, same place every day. There are reading hours, and there are writing hours. I use the reading hours for reading, and the writing hours for writing.

As for finishing what I was writing, doing so is simply a decision. You decide to finish something, or you decide not to finsih something. Finishing what you start is one of the best habits any writer can develop. It's what stops a great many amateurs from joining the ranks of the pros.

If you start something, you finish it. Once this is a habit, there's no problem. Writing should be a habit, reading should be a habit, and finishing what you start should be a habit.

[Eowyn Eomer]

Just watching a movie can inspire me and distract from the story I'm writing. When I feel distracted like that because other ideas are coming into my head, I try to avoid writing for awhile to allow my mind to clear and refocus.

Now when it comes to reading, I like reading and I find that it's important for me as a writer. I find that I write better after I've been reading. I've been reading professional writing and so grammar and form and all of that are fresh in my mind, so when I start to write, I find myself structuring sentences better and all of that. I find that if I don't read for awhile, my writing skills seem to slack off. So I find it critical for myself to read to help keep my writing skills sharp.

If I get any ideas, I try to think of if they'll work with what I'm trying to write at the moment, if they do, I'll try to incorporate the idea somehow. If not, then I let the idea go. I really should keep a journal.

I find that I don't read as much simply if I busy myself with other things, like playing on the internet. :p

[novelator]

James,

I am like you. I write during my writing time, I read during my reading time. I finish what I start.

Three very good habits I got into right out of the gate.

I don't see how reading can slow the writing of a novel down. If anything it's a good break, a good mental refresher. But I can't buy the argument that there's not much out there to read. You learn as much from reading bad fiction as you do best-sellers--in some cases, maybe more.

YMMV

Mari

[Writing Again]

I don't have a "time" to do anything.

Once I get started writing I tend to keep writing. If I get stalled on one story I jump to another. I take a breather and check out the boards, grab a cup of coffee, go back. This is why I do not dare write in the morning before I got to work. I'd get fired quick. The same is often true when I start after work. I'll look up because the alarm is going off telling me to go to work...And I've gotten no sleep.

Reading is very similar, except I will fall asleep reading more often than when I'm writing.

Writing does interfere with my reading. If a book is not as interesting as what I'm writing, then I find myself putting the book down and starting to write.

I spend time on these boards I would otherwise spend on reading. It does not seem to cut into my writing much though.

As for ideas, I always have a half dozen or more running around in my head. By the time I've finished with one project I've usually decided on the next one up. I also tend to have several projects going at the same time. Right now I'm working on my novel, and a screenplay.

[arainsb123]

Does anyone here find that the more into writing they get, the less reading you do?

Not at all! Ever since NaNoWriMo began, I've been reading a lot more.

[JuliePgh]

I find myself reading more now. I don't have a set time for reading, but on the whole, I'm more inspired and eager to read than ever before. Part of this stems from my own writing, and the lessons I learn as I write. I then want to reread "old" novels or read new ones with a writer's eyes.

What I've found incredible is my sudden desire to do research and the fact that it doesn't seem like a chore as it did in college. I'm beginning to appreciate my library more and more these days! I only wish I had more time to devote to reading. I have my set time for writing, and have no problem sticking to it, as this is a passion I look forward to each night. Even now, squinting at the screen with a full blown migraine, I should be in bed, but I can't tear myself away! Break's over, have to get back to "work"!

[mr mistook]

I suspect I'm more like WritingAgain. Free time is writing time, period. Between work, and all the household chores, time is at a premium, and if I'm to ever finish what I've started, all free time goes to the novel.

"What are you doing out here, then?" You might ask.

Interacting with other aspiring and accomplished novelists as I have out here is drastically improving my writing, in my opinion. Therefore it's saving me time.


I've read and read and read, for years. Now it's time to write. Right now, the main benefit of reading is *the act of being a reader* which breaks me out of *writer* mode long enough to understand the audience. If anybody has time for reading... I'd strongly suggest the "share your work" section of the Water Cooler, where the effort can directly help the cause. :)

[SRHowen]

I read at the dinner table, and in the tub. Only time I can get it in and I do love to read. Often if I am at a wall in one of my stories I'll pick up one of my fav authors books and it helps my brain shift gears away from my story so that when i go back to it I can move on.

Shawn

[alinasandor]

I totally see how you say that you write less when you read. I do that, too. When I read (or watch a good movie) I start to write like the author or stray into that genre. Since I read everything I can get my hands on, that can be a problem. I try to only read the genre I am writing at the moment.
I know this probably is confusing to those of you who don't have this problem. I guess I sort-of have a sponge-like brain at times. The only problem is that it doesn' t ring out when I'm ready to write. :grin

[Writing Again]

I have increased my "reading" time by getting books on tape and or cd from the library and listening to them as I drive to and from work, etc.

And I always have a book with me. To me standing in line at the bank, post office, whatever, is reading time.

[preyer]

alin, i'm more like you in that i take in outside influences. however, i love that. music is my 'worst' influence.

i really don't read much fiction anymore, not like i used to. more often than not, it's a magazine like 'smithsonian' or 'archaeology today'. i have a decent library of reference material to go through just for fun. i watch the history channel a lot, things that i can't imagine many people other than myself being interested in.

for the non-professional, it can be a hairy balance. between work, chores, a spouse and kids, it's easy to see why it takes some people years to write a novel. reading *and* writing on top of that? jeesh! lol. even if you're passionate about reading and writing, life demands you prioritize responsibly.

want to hear something ironic? my wife recently got laid-off, and now reads an entire novel almost on a daily basis. i wish i had that much time! pisses me off, lol.

[veingloree]

I think I read less when I write more becaiuse writing fills a similar 'story-telling' need for me -- it's just me telling me the story instead of somebody else.

[arrowqueen]

I'm of the 'write when it's writing time and read when it's not' school, too (in between the mundane stuff like housework, cooking, and taking care of elderly relatives.)

What I have found is that I read less since I discovered the internet. I used to get through 6/7 books a week, now it's down to just 4/5.

So it's all your fault!

;)
aq

[Jamesaritchie]

I'll also add this. I find that if I don't read regularly and widely I soon forget what good writing is, what good storytelling is. And believe me, it doesn't take long to have a serious impact on the quality of my own writing.

Trying to write fiction without reading regularly and widely is like trying to swim without water in the pool. You can lie on the bottom of the pool and go through the motions, but you won't get anywhere, and you'll look pretty silly in the attempt.

[HConn]

:lol

[stormie267]

For me, it's about the same as it was five years ago. Only now when I read, I read more slowly to see how the author wrote a scene, or developed a character.

[katdad]

I do less recreational reading the more I've been seriously writing, and yes I regret this.

I put my casual reading aside and get to writing the novel.

Maybe when I'm rich and famous I'll sit back, cigar & brandy at my side, and read more stuff.

[HollyB]

I've had a life-long passion for reading, and I can't imagine sacrificing my time reading for time writing. Especially since they're so mutually beneficial. I write when my mind is fresh and clear (mornings and early afternoons) and read when I'm tired or need to recharge (afternoons and evenings).

I do find that I read differently now. I pick apart scenes, analyze characters, find plot holes, etc. For me, the mark of a really good book is when I put all that analysis aside and just enjoy the story.

[Jamesaritchie]

I've never known a successful writer who wasn't first and foremost an avid reader. Reading isn't something writers make time for. Reading is something writers simply do. They make time for everything else.

[tjosban]

It seems the exact opposite of writing more reading less for me. I have read just about everything I could get my hands on for as long as I can remember.

I recently began to really pursue my interest in writing again, and I had been reading less because of school and my 2 jobs.

As I continue to write and work on multiple projects, I read more and more. I am re-reading books I own and getting new books. I think it's time for a trip to the library because I can't afford to buy books all the time. The desire to read as well as write is overwhelming.

Just my two little pennies.

[mr mistook]

I've never known a successful writer who wasn't first and foremost an avid reader. Reading isn't something writers make time for. Reading is something writers simply do. They make time for everything else.


Well I guess I'm just a hopeless, deluded hack then. Sheesh! :b

[eclectic wench]

I don't think there's anything that could stop me reading.

The difference, as far as I can see, is that when I'm writing I tend to read books of a much higher quality. When I'm not writing, I'll read a mixture of stuff, everything from classics through beach reads. When I'm writing, I only want the really, really good stuff - and I think it does my own writing good. I guess it's like needing healthy food, not junk food, if you're running a marathon...

[zerohour21]

For me, reading can sometimes help the writing process. Other than that, there isn't much of a correlation here. I read when I want and write when I want. :)

[preyer]

zero, mistook, it's up to us to prove james wrong! hacks unite! dyslexics untie! lol.

echoing ritchie's and other's sentiments, reading while i write helps ground me and gives me better focus. while it's natural to be an avid reader (obsessive anything is bad, imo), i always felt it was important to experience life, too. for me, it's a balance. all that truly suffers from my not reading is my prose, but living gives my stories any life they may have. to be perfectly honest, i rarely pick a book up that impresses me to the point where i'm like, 'wow, i better start getting on the ball!' by and large, i feel that what passes for professional writing in most cases isn't inspired nor particularly brilliant in any way, so i reckon there's room for one more guy whose grand goal in writing is to do the same. maybe that's why my other screen name i use when my comp is acting wonky is 'macdaddyncheese.' (this is not reflection on any who is an avid reader... well, maybe for those who sacrifices superbowl tickets to sit home and read. i've not read anyone's books here, and i'm sure they're professional, well-crafted stories one and all. i don't want to make it seem like i'm putting anyone down here, these are comments that apply to just me.)

as an aside, i often check-out people's websites. one night i happened upon katdad's and began a short story of his (though it's not my type of story, so i didn't finish it because it was really late). while i found the logic suspect concerning the viewpoint from the plane, i found his 'perspectives' contemplation beautiful and i was thinking, 'man, if he wrote a whole book with the level of ideas like that one, that would be one ass rockin' read.' most books have a maximum of maybe two sentences to a paragraph i wish i'd written myself, and rarely any ideas that i'm jealous of, but that was one, so kudos. sustain that level and you'd have my sale.

[Writing Again]

If my memory serves me the writer of the Lake Woebegone series claims to read very little.

I carry at least one book with me every where. Unless I'm with someone at a table, (which is very seldom) I read while i eat.

[Jamesaritchie]

Garrison Keiller does claim to read very little, but when he gives a list of the books he reads, it's still pretty impressive by most standards. I assume he means he reads very little compared to what he did when he was younger. He constantly mentions books I still haven't gotten around to reading.

[zerohour21]

Not sure how you can intelligently call me a hack when you have not read anything I've written other than messages I've posted on this forum, but in any case, let me explain what I meant.

I don't write carbon copies of what other people have written. I've been influenced by certain authors that I like, but I don't copy them them completely, just sometimes draw inspiration from them; they might help me along to formulate ideas from time to time, but they don't do the work for me. I develop my own ideas. As I explained before, while some movies, shows, or books might SPARK ideas for me, I don't take it verbatim from that source of inspiration, but what i usually do when that happens is that I develop the story, and what often happens is that the final idea that I do come up with is completely different from the influence. I don't just take an idea and say, "well, that's a good idea, but maybe I'll take that story and have it take place in mideval times or in a futuristic setting." or anything like that and I don't just take almost the same story and put in different characters and settings and simply change a few of the rules and details around. If you look at JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, yeah, you can see the influence that Tolkien had on King if you've read both of these, but you'd see also that they are different stories, so there is inspiration there, but no one is just copying what someone else did.

In any case, what I meant by my previous post is that reading books has allowed me to see other author's styles and how they have gone abouttelling their story. People do that in all sorts of artistic fields and it doesn't have to be to copy other people; you can look at what you did, and then try to imagine how you would have done it differently. Nothing wrong with that.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I actually have more trouble writing if I don't read - from early childhood I've always had a ritual that I read something in bed before falling asleep. And I'm not talking about a few minutes of reading - I've been known to go 4 hours or more before falling asleep, though my average is about an hour to 90 minutes.

If I don't read before bed, I usually sleep very badly and am hard to get along with the next day. When I was a kid, the reading helped me control my constant nightmares, and I guess my brain now just sort of expects it, like oxygen. I think there were maybe 4 or 5 days this year total where I didn't read something, and I definitely paid for it the next day. Last night, I was so lacking in material to read I actually read my new car's owner's manual cover to cover, and then started on another book I've also read often before :grin

In terms of writing, it's still going very slowly for me, but for reasons other than not reading - most of it is constant worry over being published or not someday. I put too much pressure on myself :(

[Vanessa99]

I am more likely to finish my current novel if I don't read. When I read the novels usually triggers some idea for a novel of my own and I go off and start plotting new ideas. The new ideas are more exciting, then I start the new novels...Then I read another book. New ideas pop up and all of a sudden you have twenty entirely different novels starting. So I do write more when I read I suppose....but I don't finish. So I don't read when I want to finish something. A hundred chapter ones aren't worth as much as one complete novel.

[Jamesaritchie]

The problem of not reading while you have a novel in progress is that it really leaves no time at all to read for most writers.
I ALWAYS have a novel in progress, and I suspect so do most writers. No writing because I want to finsih a novel I'm working on would mean I'd never again read a novel.

I also think writers should worry less about their work starting to sound like whatever they're reading at the time. Tis can be a very good thing, in most cases.

Reading shouldn't interfere with writing. I think there's a problem if it does. Reading should compliment writing, make it easier.

If you don't finish a novel it's because you don't finish a novel, not because of outside factors. You have to actually write chapter two and three and four, and reading should make this easier, not harder.

[preyer]

zero, did you not see how i was joking, riffing off the sentiment that unless you read during every moment of the day you can't possibly be a good writer? didn't mean to bunch your panties, heff, i was just trying to be cute. next time i'll try harder or just not do it. the explanation you followed with is the same problem i have with new ideas shoving the current ones to the back burner. one reason why i thought you'd take the 'hack' joke in stride is because i felt we were on the same level. obviously, you're far beyond me and i apologize.

[Euan Harvey]

I write when my mind is fresh and clear (mornings and early afternoons) and read when I'm tired or need to recharge (afternoons and evenings).
Same here. Mornings are for writing (surging along on the caffeine jolt), afternoons and evenings are for reading.

I wouldn't say I've been reading less since I started writing, but I have been less willing to put up with crap. Before I started writing, I *always* used to finish books that I had started. Since I began writing though, I've Uncle-Jim'd* several.

As for not having the time to write and read together...well, I've got to say that I'm not entirely convinced. I do lots of my reading at odd times: in queues for lunch, in the ten minutes between lessons, that kind of thing. As for solid blocks of time, well, I don't watch TV. You'd be amazed how much time the glass eye can consume.

*Hurled across room.

[zerohour21]

Don't worry about it. It's just that I don't really know anybody here too well, just, knowing how people here can be with regards to writing, I just wasn't sure how to take it. Sorry.

[mr mistook]

Preyer, I understood what you meant. :thumbs

[Writing Again]

Better to be a hack than not to be a writer at all.

[Arisa81]

If I find a book I can really get into, which isn't often these days, I can spend hours reading it, therefore putting off the writing I probably planned to do. It's not hard to catch up.

In the last two weeks I have only read newspapers and magazines, which I do enjoy. I just wish I could find a novel that appeals to me here and there. I have to head to the library tomorrow and stock up on books (cross your fingers)

I don't find reading interferes with my writing and definitely not visa versa. But reading a good novel does usually give me ideas for stories I want to write and sometimes I find myself so eager to begin I will put an unfinished one on the backburner....no good (b/c I will probably never get back to it) :b I am getting better at that....really, I am.

[preyer]

of course you have to finish your book, but at the same time i don't get too frustered over pushing a project aside for a new one. the way i reason it is that when i buckle down and knock a ms out (which does manage to happen rarely), i just might need those old stories to go back to for new material to send in. start paying me for them and watch how fast they get done. :)

honestly, i think reading has *made* me the hack i am. since most things written within my lifetime and in a particular genre (when i read fiction, it's usually sci-fi, fantasy, horror or the rare mystery) are so predictable in terms of plot, i've absorbed how it's 'supposed' to go and that's the only recourse left me now. doing the exact opposite of what you're 'supposed' to do just makes you seem like *more* of a hack. does that make sense? it almost seems like we've got writing down to a science, which is good and bad. 'this is how you build characterization,' 'this is how you build suspense'....

that's why i have a hard time finding entertaining fiction. that's why i don't listen to country music. that's why i don't watch most network sitcoms. for me there came a threshold of tolerance. you know, there used to be a time when i was considered talented, creative and imaginative, which i fear has been ruined by repetition. so a hack i am, one that, if nothing else, writes the kinds of things i'd like to read and doubtless the reason why i go to the extreme of things. clearly i'm a minority of one here, but for me i don't read as much *because* i want to be a better writer and simply not regurgitate the same things. reading as much as possible will probably only help most people in their writing, so that's to be encouraged for them (though at some point i wonder how much immersion a person needs for it to sink in and how much of it is for entertainment).

[alinasandor]

Okay,
I think you guys assume that the "read less crowd" doesn't read at all. That's not what I meant by my post at all, and I'm sure that the others in my group will agree with me.
I know this one person who wants to be a writer. After she comes home from her 9 to 5 she sits down with a book. By the time she's done reading, it's time to go to bed. Now when did she write? She didn't. She does plow through over half-a-dozen books a week, though.
I'm not saying that this happens to everyone, but all that time spent reading could have been used to write.
Yes I read. I read whenever I can't write, like when the computer crashes and is in the shop or when I'm waiting to pick my husband up from the doctors, etc.
The main thing is that when I can write, I do. That is what has made me a good writer. You only become a writer by writing. Reading is just the foundation.

[ChunkyC]

I can't not read. As I'm sitting down at my desk and getting ready to turn my laptop on, I'm reading the DELL logo on the lid. I read the damn Microsoft splash screen as the thing boots up. I even read the label on the underside of the tongue of my shoes as I pick them up to put them on. I'm amazed I haven't gotten into an accident because I was reading all the buttons and gauges in my car instead of watching the road. I love all the signs lining the road.

I need help. :grin

Seriously, I read about the same as I did before I decided to get serious about writing. I'm more judicious about what I choose to read, and I analyse it more than I ever did. If anything, I read more than before, but less for entertainment.

[Eowyn Eomer]

I could read an entire page and not have a clue what I just read. How does that work? I get aggrivated when that happens because then I have to go back and reread, making sure I concentrate. :p

[mr mistook]

I'm like that too... which is probably why I don't read as many books as I used to. I don't know if it's A.D.D. or what. I just have a difficult time focusing. I'm definitely not a speed reader.

I do think, however that when I finish a book it sticks with me, because I've rather labored over it.

I miss my days as a library page. For four glorious years, my job was to shelve books all over the library, and I spent nearly half of every day hiding in the stacks reading.

[JustinoXV]

I think it may also depend on where the writer draws his/her inspiration from.

If the things you write are based on life experience, on things you've known, etc that you have a burning desire about, how much you read or not certainly wouldn't make much difference. You are not getting inspiration/source material from books, instead you are drawing from life experience. Now if your inspiration is basically all literary in nature, then yes, you need to read a lot.

I almost never read novels, but in the past I used to read a lot about various mythologies, and that provided inspiration for a couple of screenplays.

For my comedies, dramas, and even horrors, just dealing with people in at all levels and from all walks of life has provided the inspiration I needed for them.

Of course, different people are different, and this thread is an example of that.

[annied]

My family teases me about how I can read more than one book at a time. Currently reading "Kushiel's Chosen" by Jacqueline Carey and "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde.

I love to read--started when I was pretty young and haven't stopped. If I'm writing fantasy, I tend to read more fantasy-type books. If I'm writing a mystery, I tend to read mysteries. I tend to read at a pretty fast clip, so I can squeeze some reading in between life's obligations.

As far as the more you write the less you read, it depends on the writer. For me, it really isn't the case. I have my reading time (usually during my son's afternoon nap) and my writing time (after he goes to bed) and I try to keep those times as sacred as I can. If I don't do one or the other, I get really cranky.>: