How do I balance reading time with writing time?
It's rare to find a how-to-write book or blog that doesn't have this advice: "Read. Voraciously. In all genres, especially your genre of choice, books both good and bad. You won't develop as a Writer unless you are a Reader."
I'd like to spend more time reading fiction. It seems like a less paralyzing way of gaining know-how than the how-to-books (which I think tap straight into my critical side). I'm never more inspired to write than when I read, and my memories of the times I wanted to write most come from when I volunteered in libraries and was surrounded by book covers.
Nowadays, though, I come home from work, play with my dog a few minutes, and head for the computer to write. I can usually come up with six or seven hundred words before I bog down (can't wait until I'm far enough into my novel to know where I'm going), then I give in and pull up Google to search for solutions to whatever problem I perceive is blocking me. Usually I spend hours getting caught in the web and never find whatever nugget I'm searching for. Every so often, I'll come across that bit of reading advice and say, "Yeah, that'll happen. It's hard enough to find time to write." On the other hand, if I could manage my time better, I'd probably find the time to read.
My question is, how do I find a good balance between reading and writing? I'm often reluctant to pull away from the computer when I feel the writing is becoming a grind because I don't want to teach myself to abandon the project. (I know how to do that well enough already.) I suspect even if I did use my time more effectively, I'd keep churning away at my project until the day ran out. Not quite the main question, but I suspect tangent to it, is there a guideline for when to stop writing to make time for other ways to develop my skills?
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Your problem is not making time for reading. You have two other problems:
- You're giving up too quickly on writing.
- You surf too much.
First, as John Smithers wisely says, disconnect your internet connection. The web will still be here when you come back, I promise.
Second, you say "I'm never more inspired to write than when I read." So: pick a book which is inspiring you, and put it next to your computer. When you hit 601 words and start to get bogged down, turn off the monitor (so you can't be distracted) and read, until you're inspired again. Put the book down, turn the monitor back on, and start writing again.
The answer to "whatever is bogging you down" is, 98% of the time, not found on the web, unless it's a particular word or fact. In that case, put in a placeholder and go back to it later. The answer is usually in your head, and you're good at finding reasons not to work through it. You are, as you correctly note, paralyzed.
As a third suggestion, I might add that if writing feels like a grind or a chore, set a timer. Do the writing-reading-writing for a specific amount of time: start with 30 minutes, and work up. When the time is up, turn off the computer (no fair surfing) and go do something else. Something physical. Play with the dog, make dinner, weed, clean the house, something not involving electronics. This will let your mind go but keep your hands busy, which is when I get many of my best ideas (sometimes full scenes). Keep a notebook in your pocket, jot down anything cool, and go back to your activity.
You are using the web as an excuse for procrastinating and not working through your issues (what's "bogging you down"). Reading isn't going to solve your problems, so there's no particular point in making special time for it.
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Dedicate two days a week to read instead of writing. If you get ideas that you want to start working on immediately, let writing distract you, but let it be the only thing that distracts you.
Also, make sure you have an outline of some sort. Part of your problem is that you're going slowly and getting discouraged, so you'll want to speed that up. Here's an article that might help.
http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/7707. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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