What I read while I write
I know some writers who don’t read any fiction while they write. One told me that when he’s writing, he can’t focus on any words except his own story. Another told me she worries that she’ll start using the voice of the book she’s writing, instead of her own.
But I find I read even more when I’m writing-especially now that I’m revising. I gather the books to me like armor, or maybe teddy bears, snatching bits while I brush my teeth or dry my hair. Everything in the house goes to seed while I’m in the middle of intense revisions, and that includes books propped open, scattered here and there, in any old place.
Tonight I realized that there’s a particular trend in what I’m reading: I’ve been choosing the books written by friends. I don’t think that’s an accident. Having their words near me is the next best thing to sitting in the same room while we work. I can hear their voices in their work, and it’s both comforting and inspiring. When I get tired, sometimes I’ll take a break and read another chapter-and find that I am galvanized, as if I stopped to grab a cup of coffee with my friend.
So, writing friends scattered far and wide, thank you for giving me fuel to push forward on my intense revision schedule. When you wrote your stories, you never imagined this particular reader finding this kind of meaning in your books!