“If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.” Stephen King, On Writing
As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m reading Stephen King’s book, On Writing. Although he approaches writing differently than I do (and obviously, his method has brought him a lot of success), I did agree with the point he made about the need to read.
I’ve always been a huge reader…there are books on my Kindle, books spilling off my shelves, books in my huge pocketbook, books waiting for me on hold at the library.
This year, one of my goals is to find more time to read.
Last year, I spent a lot of time writing. I wrote, actually, three books in the space of a year. I promoted two books. Many days, I ran out of time to read.
The last few months, though, I’ve been able to pack more reading in, even though I’m writing a new series for Penguin. That’s because I’ve got a variety of different things to read and I’ve got them available to me everywhere I go.
I’ve got different types of reading: non-fiction, short stories, periodicals, lit fic, and other genres.
I’ve got books in the car, in my purse, in my laptop bag, on my bedside table, and in the kitchen (we won’t talk about my housekeeping right now. Things are looking cluttered.) :)
The #1 biggest thing I’ve done to help me read more frequently? Is buy a Kindle. I’ve got many different types and lengths of books and periodicals on my e-reader, and the Kindle is so small that I can easily take it with me wherever I go.
There was a post this week on the Gatekeepers Post blog that had tips for finding more time to read. I’ll let you read the whole article, but here are some of the tips they provided:
Read on the treadmill at the gym Take a book to the movies and read during previews Read to someone else: your students, children or elderly relatives Download audio books to your computer from your public library and listen while working Check out books on tape from your public library and “read” in the car Join a book club.
How do you find time to read?