Wanting to Read

I was hemming and hawing about taking David Brin’s Existence with me (it’s pretty big for airplane reading, and I am going to WORLDCON where I will acquire books whether I want to or not). But then I read the first page and the damned thing is going with me (partly because it’s David, partly because I like the first page, and partly because I want to read something I want to read instead of something I have to read, or I promised X I would read, or whatever.  The last book I read just for fun was Paolo’s.

This is a writerly trap.  It’s important to read what we want to read, and yet I often get bogged down reading manuscripts for workshops or convention writing critique sessions or friend’s books when they want a blurb.

I will free myself for this plan ride!