As of May 14, 2018 my Bookpedia reading app lists 105 books and 38, 014 words. The Pew Research Center reports that Americans read an average of 12 books per year. Probably reached that number by the end of the first week in January.
The list of books I’ve read is eclectic. Best-sellers, classics, random picks from the library shelves. Politics. Philosophy. Science. Current events. History. Yes, mix in mysteries, thrillers and science fiction too. Authors like Richard Sennett, Robert Caro, Greg Iles, Joe Hill, Michael Kelly and John Jerome.
A voracious reader for as long as I can remember, my daily routine usually includes a stop at a library. I read late at night, on planes and waiting in the car for my kids after school activities to end. When there’s a free moment, there’s always a book in my backpack, on my desk and on my nightstand.
I read to learn, read to discover, read to push myself intellectually and at times, to escape. Acknowledging reading as escape is a hard to admit. While the enjoyment of books is fundamental to who I am, reading has replaced writing. A full-time freelance writer, I’m not as busy as I want to be. Or need to be. New assignments aren’t coming in as fast as I’d like.
Pitching is hard. Time spent crafting queries is often rewarded with no response. With extensive experience covering outdoor recreation, Minneapolis isn’t ground zero for publishers covering those markets.
When my work schedule was full, putting off completion of book proposals was easier to do. Now, with time on my hands, finishing those proposals is hard. Self-doubt battles the Muse every day. Will the topic capture an editor’s attention? Will an agent agree to take on the book?
When anxiety about writing overwhelms progress, I reach for a book instead of pushing through to finish another section of the proposal. The pleasure derived from reading is starting to feel fraudulent. If one of my fundamental goals as a writer is to author a book, why not finish those proposals?
Posting this blog is a step in that direction. Recruiting friends as first readers holds me accountable to declared deadlines. The libraries will remain full of books. For now, time to switch the routine from reading and writing to writing and reading.
Onward.