Reading is an important part of a writer's life. My experiences with books motivate and influence my life as a writer. Stephen King in On Writing says, "You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you" (pg. 141).
I had an extra long summer this year. I finished teaching at the end of May and didn't go back to work until this week, almost the last week in August. My friend, who also teaches, had half that break, so I consider myself lucky and have, therefore, had a lot of time for drumming, writing and reading. It's been heavenly! At the end of Stephen King's incredible book about writing, he gives a list of all the books he's read over the "past three or four years," just to show us how diverse his reading is. He's setting an example for us newbies to follow. He says, "Write a lot and read a lot" (pg. 293). That's solid advice, so for my first time, I've compiled a list of all the books I've read this summer. I haven't done too shabby. Here's the list: (and in the order I completed them)
I'm trying to continue my reading streak as the semester gets going. I'm trying to manage my classes better so that in the late afternoons and quiet evenings I can read like it's summer. Stephen King said: "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or tools) to write. Simple as that" (p. 140). Happy reading and happy writing!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |