Before we begin today's post I just have to tell you about the contest Chuck Sambuchino is running on his blog to win not one but three, count 'em three books.
His latest
HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK
The must-have
2011 GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS
and the fantastic
FORMATTING AND SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT
All you have to do is go HERE to put your name in. We all need to be prepared when gnomes attack.
Now, onto my regularly scheduled post.
I read a blog post last weekend that's been sticking in my craw.
How do you read now?
I used to read for pleasure, I'd get so engrossed I could forget about the world around me and often did. I would sit for hours, totally enthralled.
Now, when I try and read for pleasure, I find my inner editor kicking in and I keep putting the book down, something I never, ever did before. I would read straight through the day or night, sometimes both. I'd put off going to the potty, feeding the dogs, taking a shower. Now, I find I can actually do the dishes instead of finishing chapter 10.
How about you? Do any of you do that now? Edit instead of read?
21 comments:
YES! And no. lol. For me, it really depends on the book. What erks me is when I see books published that break every rule I'm trying to live by in order to get an agent. Then again, there are still authors that manage to catch me up and keep me locked in from start to finish.
I read for pleasure when I was young and still do; and if the book has a compelling story line AND is written well (that is, has a minimum of distracting adverbs and boring descriptive passages) I can barely put it down even to go to the bathroom! But I also have an inner "editor" now that I didn't have before, which in a way is unfortunate for me; if there's too much "loose" writing, I will skim very quickly through the book, or if it doesn't have a compelling story, I won't finish it.
Hope you have a good day, Anne. I thought about you when Jen and I were on our recent vacation (that I just posted something about) and saw a sign that said Piedmont.
Happens to me too--I think it's an occupational hazard. :(
I really notice the flow of a book and the overuse of descriptions. I see what should be chopped.
I absolutely have this problem. Being a serious writer has ruined reading for me, at least partly, but I do find that those rare, amazing books, those that are beyond good, become that much better.
Cool contest, thanks Anne!
I do notice some things when I'm reading, but mostly I still read for pleasure. It's what I do EVERY night before I go to sleep.
I notice more and more things, such as run-on sentences, when I'm reading someone else. But I try not to let it bother me. Otherwise, I can't just enjoy what I'm reading.
I definitely read differently now than I used to. Like Katie said, I notice more when the "rules" are boken/bent. But something I did for the very first time this year was quit on a book. After the author had the MC make the 3rd or 4th illogical decision, I threw in the towel. I guess I'm less forgiving now.
I have problems reading now because I'm always editing. That's why I love reading really great edited work.
CD
I think I'm half and half. sometimes I edit when I read and sometimes the books plot wraps me up....
it all depends on the book for me. Some i read purely for entertainment. Some i read to learn from
I definitely edit when I read now and I find I'm a lot less forgiving now. But, there are still books out there that draw me in and make me forget everything else but the story.
So it's not just me then. I've found all the books I used to LOVE to read are just trash now, and I've discovered some amazing writers that do indeed break the rules but their words are so elegant and finely crafted I forget about the rules.
I guess that's something we all aspire to. Thanks everyone for stopping by.
Well, I don't edit grammar/spelling as much as I used to.
However, I find myself saying, "They could have had better dialogue here....or, that was poor plot twisting, I could see it a mile away..."
Which hasn't ruined my reading...yet.
OMG, thank you for this post! I have a huge pile of books that I bought that I absolutely CAN NOT READ. I thought something was wrong with me, that my 'reader' was broken. And I LOVE to read. Wahhhh.
At least I'm not alone.
Thanks for the link, I read Chuck but somehow missed this one.
Great post, ~that rebel, Olivia
I definitely find myself editing as I read. It's horrible and it doesn't just happen with books: I do it when I watch movies and TV shows AND when I listen to music. I'm constantly analyzing everything I used to partake in for fun! It's incredibly irritating and I wish I could switch it off but I can't.
Plus, when I'm reading a really good book, I write a lot less. :(
That said, I still <3 reading!
My reading is really messed up, Anne. I edit all the time now, and I don't like it a bit. Once, I even began substituting a word in the Bible. That's when I knew I had to calm down and just allow myself to read.
Some how I've managed to keep my leisurely reading separate from my inner editor. When I see a typo or two in a book I read, I usually just like "ha, I'm not the only one!" and keep reading. The problem with reading is that it consumes me. When I'm reading I can neither write nor blog much.
Oh I can hear you on that. When I read I can't write, and when I write I can't read.
I do tend to be more critical of what I'm reading, but I can still get carried away if the book is good enough.
I've been reading a LOT lately and I still love it, but I can't turn off the writer part of me anymore. I keep seeing all the stuff that I have to edit out of my work, yet these published authors get to do it. It doesn't seem right!
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