New writer: I was
wondering if you could give me some advice?
Me: Lock the dog
out of the room before bumping uglies with your significant other.
New writer: No, I
mean advice for becoming a published author.
Me: Oh. Sure, I’d say read.
New writer: Read?
Me: Read everything
you can get your hands on. Read inside your genre, outside your genre, in your
bed, or out of your comfort zone. Read fiction, nonfiction, magazines, medical
journals, cereal boxes, and fortune cookies.
New writer: Yeah,
well—I’m not really much of a reader, and I really don’t have that kind of time…
At which point I will either politely excuse myself from the
conversation, or beat the person’s head against the bar. It depends on how full
my wineglass is.
Suffice it to say, I’m a fervent believer in reading as the
cornerstone to improving your skills as a writer. There truly is no better way to
study the craft and learn what works and what doesn’t when it comes to putting
words on a page.
I thought about this the other day when I was asked in an
interview what books I’m currently reading, and I caught myself giving a
censored answer. Not because I’m ashamed to be reading porn (I’ll happily admit
that) but because I read so many books simultaneously, it sounds a little
absurd.
I’m not afraid of sounding absurd here, so behold, I give
you the current rundown of what I’m reading and why I’m reading it.
Author: Lauren
Blakely
Genre: Romance
Why I picked it:
My agent recommended it.
What I love about it:
This is a fun, fluffy, flirty, sexy romance that flows well, offers
solid writing and interesting, likeable characters. Is it a little predictable? Of course! But
sometimes that’s exactly why I choose a romance novel. I want my
happily-ever-after, and I want some good sexin’ along the way. This has both,
and it served as a terrific reminder of what I love about the romance genre.
Author: Kyra
Cornelius Kramer
Genre: Historical
nonfiction
Why I picked it:
A friend recommended it.
What I love about it:
I adore when a book sheds new light on a subject I thought I already knew
pretty well. I’ve read plenty of books about England’s King Henry VIII, the
Boleyn sisters, and the Tudor dynasty, but this book made me rethink a lot of things I thought I already knew. The author explores the possibility that Henry may have suffered from a medical
condition that caused him to do crazy shit like behead friends and wives, and
also made it difficult for him to sire children. The author’s expertise in
medical anthropology is fascinating, but what I really loved is how
entertaining and approachable she makes the material. I got so engrossed
reading it on the elliptical machine, that I ended up doing a two hour workout.
Even if I hated the book (which I obviously didn’t) I have to feel grateful for
the excuse to eat bacon and have an extra glass of wine that night.
Author: Maria
Semple
Genre: General
fiction
Why I picked it:
The book club I’ve belonged to for 14 years chose it as our April selection.
What I love about it:
This charmingly funny story is told via the mixed media of humorous FBI
documents, emails, letters, and narration from several characters trying to
piece together what happened to a quirky wife/mother/architect who vanished. The
characters are offbeat and unique, the writing is tight and hilarious, and the
vividly-described Seattle setting had me
laughing out loud at all the idiosyncrasies of my native Pacific
Northwest. Just when I thought I’d pegged a character a certain
way, the author would reveal another side to him/her that kept me breathlessly
turning pages. And laughing. Lotsa laughing with this one.
Author: Wednesday
Martin, PhD
Genre: Self help
Why I picked it: I
spent the first 36 years of my life steadfastly, devoutly childless-by-choice,
only to find myself in a relationship with the single father of two amazing
kids. That was two years ago, and while my gentleman friend’s offspring are
adorable, smart, funny, well-behaved, and lovable, the fact remains that I’m on
very unfamiliar turf being around kids at all, let alone functioning in a semi-sorta
stepparent role. When something makes me
uncertain or uncomfortable, I research the hell out of it. That’s sorta my
thing, and it’s how I ended up with about a dozen stepmother-themed self-help
books on my nightstand. This one was my favorite.
What I love about it:
Many of the books I picked up had a doom-and-gloom approach, sharing
commiserative stories about unsupportive men and bratty kids, or spouting
statistics about how few women would get involved with single dads if they had
it to do over again. I’m pretty far from that scenario, and just wanted more
understanding of the human dynamics and what’s at the root of them. This book
offered oodles of case studies, a good dose of psychology, and a healthy helping of
validation that most of the things I’d been thinking and feeling are
normal. Well, in this realm, anyway.
Authors: Jennifer
Newcomb Marine and Carol Marine
Genre: Self help
Why I picked it:
A fellow author who’s been on the same divorce/dating a single dad track as me
recommended this book at the same time I suggested Stepmonster to her. If you’re involved with a single father, odds
are good you’ll need some sort of relationship with the mother of his
offspring. While things have gone just fine for me in this area, I’m always
looking for ways to gain more understanding and improve my own coping
techniques.
What I love about it:
This book is co-written by a duo of women married to the same man. Er, that
didn’t come out right. The ex-wife and new wife share their experiences from
the different perspectives of the mom and the stepmom – each "the other woman" in her own way. Though I’m only a few
chapters in, I’m enjoying the she said/she said interplay and the quizzes and
worksheets that force readers to confront their own snarky issues and secret
evil thoughts. Not that I have any of those.
Author: Kristan
Higgins
Genre: Romantic
comedy
Why I picked it:
Kristan Higgins is on my auto-buy list anytime she releases a new book. I adore
everything she writes, and this was no exception.
What I love about it:
I love studying the work of the grand dames of the romantic comedy genre, and
Kristan Higgins is one of the masters. She strikes precisely the right balance
of funny and poignant, and her characters are always charming and unique.
I read this one on the beach during a recent trip to Hawaii, and it promptly became one of my all-time favorites among Kristan’s
books. Her brand of rom-com leans more toward bittersweet and less toward the
wacky realm where mine tend to fall, which is another thing I love—studying the
different approaches to comedy. Or you can forget all my overanalyzing crap and
just enjoy the book, because it really is awesome.
So that’s the roundup of what’s on my nightstand right now.
Er, among other things. How about you? Please share!
12 comments :
I agree with you. Writers who aren't reading are very frustrating.
I love that you're such an eclectic reader (and, dear god, how can you call yourself a writer if you don't like to read?!? What is WRONG with people?).
Anyway, I'm currently reading:
*Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link (I think I picked this up because she's now a badass living on a farm but it's pretty good!)
*Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick (a YA about a girl and three magical dresses)
*One for the Wicked by Karina Cooper (PNR with plenty of action and super-hot scenes...as in he gets her off while sitting in the driver's seat *fans self*)
I find that when I'm not reading, I can't write. For example, I've been trapped in Math Hell for the last few months as I finish up this semester of college, and I haven't had time to read. Well, I wanted to submit something for my monthly writing group. But when I tried to write...nada.
The two are irrevocably intertwined, and anyone who doesn't see that has no business writing!
Also? LOVE Kristan Higgins. She is SO GOOD!
So how does someone who doesn't read ever become a writer? Well, they probably don't. I've read voraciously since I was old enough to hold a book. My roundup right now is:
FIVE DAYS by Douglas Kennedy who is an auto-order for me. He writes so gorgeously, his words are a trip to heaven.
THE ETIQUETTE OF ILLNESS by Sue Halpern because my BFF has cancer and I want to know new ways I can help her.
SIMPLE ABUNDANC by Sarah Ban Breathnach because it's my daily meditative reading.
THE JEFFERSON KEY by Steve Berry--a great thriller, everyone needs to read thrillers.
Of course, I meant SIMPLE ABUNDANCE--sheesh!
I usually have 4-5 books going at a time, too.
Just today I was reading while doing the laundry. I found myself in front of the washer, writing, as I was doing laundry. My thoughts were - she put the colors in the washing machine and poured in detergent. Oh no, she thought, I'm going to have to go and get more damn detergent before I can finish my effin laundry.
Evidence - reading fuels writing.
Apart from the fact that I struggle to deal with people who 'don't read', I seriously cannot understand why anyone who doesn't read would want to become a writer - it just doesn't make sense (it would be like someone who hates flying wanting to be a pilot).
Personally, it was reading that made me fall in love with the written word and made me want to spend my life devoted to it. Recently I have started going further and further outside my comfort zone with reading (thank you Kindle!) and am so glad that I have (though to be honest, I have always been one of those people who will read whatever's in front of me).
Hey! I think I'm your 1000th blog follower. Do I get a prize for bringing this to your attention? ;)
Someone just mentioned Where'd You Go, Bernadette to me the other day. I'll have to check it out. I'm halfway through about eight books, too, although I don't know if I'll ever finish most of them.
Many books at a time, how do you manage?
Kudos to you Tawna for reading up on how to be a sensitive step parent. I'm a stepdaughter and while time has smoothed over the worst, this kind of preparation and intelligence will make your relationships with the kids strong and healthy and they'll love you as their family forever.
Love the other recommendations, and this post.
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