Back in the Reading

Reading for me happens in big swings. I either go a few months without reading anything new or I chew through a couple of new books in a few weeks. I know most of the reason behind that is the stage of life I’m in and I’m working on being ok with that.

When the big swing happens where I find myself craving new stories, I fly through books any way I can get them. I borrow from my town’s library, purchase a small stack from thiftbooks.com, and/or listen to books on Audible. The method really depends on what is happening during the day. If I have a lot to do around the house, the earbuds go in and narrators paint worlds for me while I clean or organize. If I have an hour to sit on my deck, I curl up with a book and the pups nearby and read in the sun. When I’m not reading anything new, I curl into my Kindle and reread stories I know well. Those are usually the swings when so much is happening around me that I know I need to escape into a story that is safe, familiar, and comforting.

Last week I found myself somewhere in between, where I started reading another new story after I finished listening to one on Audible. I found when I had time last week, I needed to slow down and read. Subsequently, I did not spend much time writing last week. I found myself stuck in a spot and had a hard time figuring out why. I know that this week will be busy with two more family celebrations and that I won’t write much. I do have goals though and I will carve out time to accomplish them. I want to finish the current chapter I’m revising in Scrivener and finish the paper revisions I currently have printed. Next week I will print out act two and start on those revisions. I was able to get some much needed information on hunting for my novel from a friend and my husband, and the insight I gained is going to help this revision immensely. It feels good to know I understand my character and the actions she needs to take better having this knowledge. I’m excited to keep going with these revision and continue to reshape this manuscript.

In case you haven’t been told today, you are more than enough.

Happy Writing!