Monday, April 13, 2009

Reading, Writing and what's the Arithmetic?

I'm stuck, trying to find a balance between reading and writing. As a fiction writer it is necessary to do a lot of fiction reading. I have a stack of books on my night stand that I am attempting to read.

Currently I have "The Notebook" and "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks, "White Sister" by Steve Cannell, and Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. Those are just the ones on my nightstand. There is a barrage of other fiction books on my living table, waiting to gain entrance into the bedroom.

I also have non fiction on my night stand "The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and "Don't Kiss Them Goodbye" by Allison Dubois,"Expect the Unexpected" by Roger von Oech, "The Hanging of Arthur Hodge"by John Andrew, "Tears of Fears...Behind Closed Doors." by Lyn-Dee-Eldridge and "Finding Your Voice" by Less Edgerton.

Then there are the books on CD I have yet to listen to......

So my question for writers is this..

How much time do you spend a day reading?

How much time do you spend a day writing?

How many WIP do you have at the moment?

Do you edit one WIP while writing another?

In general what is your typical day like?

Should you devote 33 percent to writing, 33 percent to editing? and 33 percent to reading?

I do read when I am in the car and my husband is driving, and when I am driving I listen to books on tape. I try to remember to take a book w/ me when I go someplace where I might have to wait like the doctors etc..

Right now I am trying to find a balance... between reading and writing.. any tips are greatly appreciated...

2 comments:

Jeanette said...

On my nightstand... a pile of nonfiction. Currently reading "Smart Networking" by Liz Lynch, "The Foreclosure Game" by Frank J Dobrucki, and fiction "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult.

I write all day, unless something fun comes along, and then read until I fall asleep. My daughter is an editor and Christian Science Monitor book reviewer, so I rarely edit. Perhaps I will when I fulfill my dream of writing fiction.

jdsanc said...

Right now I'm re-reading both The Poisonwood Bible and My Name is Ashor Lev. I read at night, before I sleep, for at least an hour. I can't stay away. I think of it somewhere between homework and pleasure reading, but it keeps me "in the words."

Best of luck for your own writing.