Small post today, because I’m feeling all dried up this week. This always happens when I’ve been talking too much and reading too little.
I have a stack full of good books waiting and I aim to dig into them. Before I start, though…I’ve been thinking about why I don’t love reading as much now as I did before I started writing fiction. Here are the reasons in no particular order:
- I know more about writing so errors in technique bother me now, whereas I may not have even noticed them before.
- Reading often feels like a chore because I have so many books waiting that I’m supposed to read (because they’ve been sent to me for review, or because they’ve been written by friends and acquaintances), but…
- Some of those books written by friends and acquaintances don’t draw me in right away, but I feel guilty if I put them down, and that makes me dislike the books even more.
- I read many books in the same genre, trying to stay up with the markets, so the books I read often feel predictable, which is always less exciting than fresh and full of delightful surprises.
- With a huge stack of books waiting for me, one little bump with a character who is poorly motivated or one boring scene or one chapter that ends without a question I want answered, tempts me to put the book down and try another.
And yet, despite all of that, there are still books that pull me in and make me forget that I’m reading a novel and hours are sliding by and I have other things I should be doing. When I read those kinds of books I feel like I’ve discovered reading all over again. I want to read more books like that, so here’s my new plan: I will read what I want. If an author hasn’t dragged me in within two chapters—at most—I’ll put the book down and forget it. If the author drags me in early but loses me in the fifth chapter or the sixth of the seventh, I will put the book down without feeling guilty.
Those last three words—without feeling guilty—are the important ones. I almost always put down books I don’t want to read. The only problem is that I feel guilty about it. What’s up with that? Why would a bunch of writers I don’t even really know have such a claim on my time?
Am I the only one that struggles with this? What do you do if an acquaintance has written a book you don’t like? Do you slog through and look for nice things to say or do you admit that it wasn’t your cup of tea.
I would be honest about it not working for me, but I’d also try to find some things I like about it. There’s always something.
I feel guilty after giving a poor review. I try to find something positive. I think it’s guilt we shouldn’t be feeling.
Everything depends on the reason I’m reading. If I’m reading for pleasure, then I’ll set aside a book that just isn’t working for me. There’s a nearly infinite supply of books to read and very little time to read them. Yes, sometimes I feel guilty too. I have a shelf of books I have set aside in the past, but am unwilling to give up on them entirely. Why? In fact, many of them have followed me through two moves. That is ridiculous!
If I’ve agreed to read and review//give feedback….yeah. That’s a whole different story. I feel I have to slog through at least 50 pages and give honest feedback. If it’s private feedback, I’m going to be really honest (while also pointing out anything and everything I liked). If my review is going to be public, I would probably contact the author “off the record” and inform him/her that I’m not going to complete the review. And I would go on to explain the reason(s) why I’m making that choice.
You know, I quit agreeing to critique other writers’ work a few years ago. I tell people it’s a matter of time managment and that IS true. However, there’s another reason. Most of the time I felt like I was re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Isn’t that terrible of me!
Trisha Slay´s last [type] ..Dixie Lee Connor Writing for Children or Young Adult Award
I donate books I don’t like to my local public library, and they sell them in their used bookstore and use the proceeds to buy more books. Better books, I hope.
I cleaned out my bookshelves this summer, donating so many books I kept around just because I knew the authors. I don’t feel guilty, because maybe someone else will enjoy them. At the very least, my library appreciates the donations.