The stack of books beside my bed
There's a stack of books beside my bed. There's always a stack of books beside my bed. I suspect most writers have one, even if it has moved to their e-readers.
My stack consists of books I'm reading, books I've recently read but haven't shelved yet, books I want to read, and books I started reading a while ago but--for whatever reason--haven't picked up in some time. Library books, ARCs of friends, old favorites that I'm rereading, new books I'm excited about: these populate my current stack.
I always read several books at once, and my selections are governed by mood as well as taste. Sometimes, only a comfort read will do. Other times, I crave the excitement of something new. Sometimes I buy a book and don't read it for months or years, until the mood for it hits me. Sometimes I can read a densely written, thousand-page tome that requires heavy thinking on my part. Sometimes I want action and thrills.
I read books to study them, also. I recently reread a book to see how the author built a suspenseful situation, and I plan to study the structure of that book more actively when I'm able to take a break from my current work in progress. Sometimes I read poetry to remind myself to pay attention to every single word.
Natalie Whipple (Between Fact and Fiction) has been blogging lately about the importance of reading in a writer's education, and it reminds me that the first thing I always advise any class when I teach a writing workshop is this: Read. Read a lot. (The second thing I tell them is to write. Write a lot.) It's why I imagine that the stack of books beside my bed is not unique, but rather a feature many writers will recognize instantly from their own bedrooms, offices, dens, and living rooms.
What's in your stack?
My stack consists of books I'm reading, books I've recently read but haven't shelved yet, books I want to read, and books I started reading a while ago but--for whatever reason--haven't picked up in some time. Library books, ARCs of friends, old favorites that I'm rereading, new books I'm excited about: these populate my current stack.
I always read several books at once, and my selections are governed by mood as well as taste. Sometimes, only a comfort read will do. Other times, I crave the excitement of something new. Sometimes I buy a book and don't read it for months or years, until the mood for it hits me. Sometimes I can read a densely written, thousand-page tome that requires heavy thinking on my part. Sometimes I want action and thrills.
I read books to study them, also. I recently reread a book to see how the author built a suspenseful situation, and I plan to study the structure of that book more actively when I'm able to take a break from my current work in progress. Sometimes I read poetry to remind myself to pay attention to every single word.
Natalie Whipple (Between Fact and Fiction) has been blogging lately about the importance of reading in a writer's education, and it reminds me that the first thing I always advise any class when I teach a writing workshop is this: Read. Read a lot. (The second thing I tell them is to write. Write a lot.) It's why I imagine that the stack of books beside my bed is not unique, but rather a feature many writers will recognize instantly from their own bedrooms, offices, dens, and living rooms.
What's in your stack?
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