Don't forget to read

Hey guys! How’s your week going? Hopefully it’s grand. I had a bunch of stuff going on on Monday, and now I have no idea what day of the week it is… but I think I’m still on track for everything. I hope.

And that’s what makes this month’s series so special, to me. Because it’s a list of ways that I can treat myself too—and yes, I will be taking part in all of them. In fact, I may take tomorrow for this one.

Number Two:

Reading Day

Just like people watching, reading is a way for us to get better at what we do. It’s how we learn about craft, how we develop new ideas and come up with better ways to word and vary our sentences. If we’re not reading, that probably means our writing hasn’t changed in a very long time, and probably means people will be getting bored with our style by now. So! We’d better be reading then, shouldn’t we?

But December is one of the busiest months on the planet, and taking a full day to read isn’t always as easy as it sounds. So, that’s not what I’m asking you to do.

Remember, this month is all about ways to treat yourself.

So, I want you to make sure you treat yourself, and your writing, by taking a day and making sure you read. Otherwise, I know how it is. We don’t read when we get busy. Unfortunately, it’s frequently one of the first things that goes on the backburner. I don’t like that that happens, but sometimes there’s not much way around it.

Right now though, we’re still early in the month. This is the first full week of December. Now’s the time to make sure you fit in some good reading time. Take a day, and read every single chance you get. Read before you get ready in the morning, read on the bus on the way to work, read on your lunch break, and read when you’re done with dinner. Read every single chance you get—and take some notes while you’re at it.

That’s the thing a lot of us forget to do. We think of writing as a treat for us, but we forget that it’s also the way we get better at what we do.

So, take notes.

While you’re having your amazing writing day, write down a few things that you liked (or didn’t like) about the craft in the book your reading. Maybe there’s a sentence you absolutely love. Write that down, analyze why you like it so much. Or, maybe there’s a character who falls flat but stays in the story the whole time. Write that down too, and maybe try to pinpoint what you don’t like about them.

The point is, this day isn’t just about reading. It’s also about writing.

This month, let’s all take a day to read—and to get better at what we do, along the way.

[love and Merry Christmas]

{Rani Divine}