As a writer, it’s important to read. That seems self-evident, but some people don’t believe in that axiom.
I’ve always been a voracious reader, but it now comes in jags for me. Sometimes I am listless and can’t get through more than a chapter or two, and sometimes I read an entire book in one sitting. I think it’s a combination of the work and whatever else is going on in my life. More than once I’ve returned to an abandoned book and discovered it wasn’t as bad as I previously thought.
Lately I’ve been on a bit of a reading jag.
I saw an interview with Ursula Le Guin on PBS’s American Masters, and it made me want to revisit Earthsea. I enjoyed the books again, much less so her commentary. I’d never read The Other Wind and enjoyed it immensely. I found Tales From Earthsea tedious and skipped them.
I’d been looking forward to Snow , Glass Apples. I tore through it in about forty-five minutes. The story was okay, not my favorite Gaiman, but not terrible either. I LOVED Doran’s artwork. She’s fantastic. The book is worth it for her art alone.
Contagion I picked up at the local library. It was pretty good. I’m not completely enamored with the final premise, but I actually enjoyed the shifting perspectives between Callie and Shay, which is unusual for me. Terry handles the switches deftly. I’ll probably pick up the sequel when it comes out.
Because it’s our craft, and like artists, looking at masters (and not quite masters) helps us hone our skills.
Why should writers read?
Because it’s our craft, and like artists, looking at masters (and not quite masters) helps us hone our skills. The metacognition around analyzing a work points to things I should or should not do when I construct my own tales. And there is plenty of academic research pointing out that reading also helps with the technical aspects of writing by giving us mental models to work from. Reading is necessary for writers.
Having a giant TBR is a good thing, which is good because I just placed five books on hold.
D. S. Dehel 