Monday, January 21, 2013

What’s between your covers? by Jennifer Faye


*shakes head and grins* It’s not what you’re thinking.

With this being my first post of the new year, it’s still the season when people are making goals for the upcoming year. I must admit I'm not much of a New Year's resolution kinda girl. If it's that important to me, I don't need a holiday to get me started. However, there is one goal that I do make for myself each year and I stick with it all year long. Can you guess what it is?

Nope, it's not my writing--too many variables there. And it’s not my word output. I'll give you a hint...I love to read. No, that’s not quite right. I LOVE to read. So I have a yearly book-read-goal. How about you?

What’s between the cover of what you’re reading now?

As I write this, I’m reading a Harlequin Romance. These are NOT your mother or grandmother’s style books. Nope. These are contemporary, fast-paced, emotional, steamy reads with happliy-ever-after's.

As a writer, I can’t imagine not reading. To me it goes hand-in-hand with writing. A writer must refill their creative well not only with real life experiences, but also with all forms of writing from various genres.

Most people read as a form of entertainment, but for a writer it can also provide a learning opportunity. It can be fascinating to observe how other writers develop such powerful emotions on the page or the way they arrange words to provide such a realistic setting that you can feel the breeze on your face and hear the trickling of the creek.

Now, I’m not saying you should copy these talented writers. I’d never advise that.

But I believe the more you read, the more you comprehend what it takes to translate the story in your mind and heart to the page. Because from my observations, one of the biggest challenges for writers is to evoke in the reader the passion and emotion that is present in the writer’s mind.

Believe me, I understand that there are so many hours in a day and everyone has various responsibilities. I just set up my goal on Goodreads and I was really frustrated when I listed 50 books as my 2013 goal. I was so tempted to put 100 or more, but I hate to fail at something. Better to underestimate than have the stress of knowing I’m NOT meeting my goal. And with my debut and a holiday romance out this year, I’m going to busy.

But no matter how busy we get, it’s also important to squeeze in some quality reading time. Sometimes you can double-up on things such as reading in the car, while waiting to pick your child up after school or even my favorite—while riding a stationary bike. Be creative. You’ll be amazed where you can squeeze in a few pages.

However, if you need to justify sneaking off with a good book tell your family it’s your homework. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. It also works for explaining those large book orders that appear on the credit card statement. *G*

So share with us what’s between your covers? And when do you carve time out of your busy life to escape into another world?

16 comments:

  1. I usually read at night before bed. It's my way of winding down from the day. Even if it's just an hour.

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    1. I agree. That's an ideal time to read. I used to do that but lately I've been reading after the dinner dishes are done and then watching tv in bed...and staying up far too late. LOL.

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  2. I'm like you Jennifer I read for pleasure and to learn . Great post I enjoyed it.

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    1. Hi Jolliffe! So glad you stopped by. Isn't exciting that you can have an enjoyable read and learn at the same time. Talk about a win-win. :-) Thrilled you liked the post.

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  3. Reading at night so doesn't work for me...because I am a binge reader....If I start something, especially something good, I've been known to read into 4 or 5 am in the morning and hubster waking up and glaring at me...


    But yeah with writing deadlines now, can't do that anymore...but reading is life blood for my writing so definitely counts as home work..

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    1. LOL. You aren't the only one who gets those glares in the middle of the night when you just can't put down a book. :-)

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  4. Great post, Jen. I'm like Sri-total binge reader. I must finish it ASAP after I start it. So, I won't start a book until I know I can get it read in 1-2 days. Lately I haven't read as much, b/c deadlines/writing/family have taken so much of my time. But that doesn't stop me from buying and having a massive TBR pile...;-)

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    1. Don't even get me started on my TBR pile. Dh picks on me about it all of the time...especially when I tell him that I'm buying a new book. But these days I have a really good excuse..."But I have to, I know them." He just smiles and shakes his head.

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  5. Great post, Jen. I don't have the large chunks of reading time that I used to, although I do make time/get behind on everything else for a _really_ good book. Mostly I have to sneak a few pages here or there: lunch, before bed, and while working out.

    My TBR pile? Ridiculous.

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    1. Glad you liked the post. :-)

      Like you, I used to have lots of time to read but more often than not I have deadlines now. But when I'm off deadline, I love to devour book after book. :-) It's like a mini-vacation. Sometimes I want a rugged rancher. Other times I want a sexy billionaire. Throw in a historical to visit another time period. And other times I want some suspense/intrigue. That's the awesome thing about books. They have it all.

      And yes, my TBR pile is teetering. Yikes! And it isn't likely to go down this year as I have so many friends with great books coming out...like you. Looking forward to your debut.

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  6. Hi Jennifer! I'm reading my RITA books right now, so I can't say what they are--but I will say they are stretching my reading wings. I love finding surprising new books and authors.

    I have a massive TBR pile, and a big one on my Kindle, too. I read when I get snatches of time--waiting for a kid to get out of practice, or right before bed. I am a really fast reader and I think that helps.

    I agree that reading refills the well. I love it when something sparks an idea--and it's always completely unrelated to what I was reading, so you never know what's going to shake something loose in the writer brain. :)

    Great post! :)

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    1. Enjoy the RITA books!

      That's one thing I love about Harlequin's Free Book Friday, I usually get a book that I wouldn't have otherwise picked. And it's really great if it's a book that's outside my normal lines. :-)

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  7. Great post, Jen! I love to read for pleasure and for research. ;) I always keep a book or my e-reader in my purse so that I can sneak in bits of reading while I'm waiting for my daughter at school or ballet classes. I also read while I'm on the treadmill. Multi-tasking is great!

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    1. Sounds like you make really good use of your time. I must admit that most of the time I don't carry a book around with me, not unless I know I'm going to be sitting for long periods.

      And I agree multi-tasking is a must! :-)

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  8. I'm so relieved I'm not the only one with a toppling TBR pile! Next in line are Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Historian', Karen Harper's 'Deep Down' and Scott C. Mariani's 'The Cross'. Something tells me I might have to wait until my next school holiday to get into these though! A really enjoyable post, Jennifer. Thank you! :-)

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    1. You are most definitely not alone w/ an overflowing TBR pile. *lowers voice and whispers* And I'm anxiously waiting for the postman to bring me my latest order from Harlequin. Shhh...don't tell the hubby. LOL.

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