Reading Update

Well, this challenge is really affecting the way I read. For the past few years, the books I have chosen to read have been mostly for entertainment and pleasure. I read quickly, without stopping much to think about the themes or the probable influences of the writers, and I certainly haven't been taking any notes. But this challenge has made me think more while reading, since I will have to report on each book. So, while I'm reading quickly to try to keep up the pace, I'm also slowing down sometimes, to notice things that I want to tell you about.

Some ways that my reading is being affected:

1. Choosing books. I am less likely to choose LONG books, or books that will be tedious. They will simply take too long to read.

2. I feel like I should read "better" books for you, my 3 readers. Like you will be disappointed if I only read mysteries and don't read at least a little Russian Literature.

3. Like I said above, I'm really trying to be more aware of what I'm reading. I'm reading more as a critic, as opposed to just being entertained. I'm discerning more precisely what I do and don't like about the books. I suspect that this will increase and improve as the year goes on.

This critical reading is helpful, as I am writing some books myself. Since last summer, I have been working on a novel, and at that point I started paying more attention to how novelists craft their books. Who tells the story, and what is the perspective? If the perspective shifts, is it confusing, annoying, or enjoyable? If there are time shifts, do they make the story confusing? Is it best if the story is just told straight through, without flashbacks?

There are some things that are perfectly acceptable in genre fiction that would simply be seen as cheating in General Fiction. What I am writing is somewhat a mystery, but I want it to be classified as General Fiction. So, I need to minimize cliffhangers and sudden plot twists and Deus ex Machina. But it might be more fun to go all-out with a mystery-genre book and have more rein to use the tricks of the trade.

I'm still not very far in my first draft, so I can still change my mind about what kind of book I'm writing. I'll see how it unfolds and see if I need to rely on mystery tricks or if I can pull it off without them.

I'm promising you here, today, that within the next 7 days I will write 5 more pages of my novel. I've gotten out of the habit of writing again, even though I keep getting ideas, and I need to get those ideas down on paper while I'm still excited about them.