I'd Rather Be Reading

I've been spending a lot of time writing lately, which is great. As tends to be the case, when the writing is going well, there doesn't seem to be as much time left in the day for reading. This week I had more than the usual number of errands and appointments to run around doing and waiting for, so most of the reading I got done was in five or ten minute increments between other activities.

I love when I manage to carve out an hour or two simply to sit and read. But whenever I do, it feels so decadent. "Surely I should be doing something else right now!" I always find myself thinking. "This purely pleasurable activity can't possibly be a legitimate part of my work day!"

Every good writing guide out there instructs writers to read as much and as widely as possible. That means as a writer, I can justify reading time as work time. But it feels so much like cheating, like declaring a totally bogus tax write-off.

It's a tough life, isn't it?

I hope to find more time to read soon. I'm looking forward to making more progress on this month's books and sitting around feeling naughty.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ Jon Gibbs guest posts at Nathan Bransford's blog with the brilliant An Agent Responds to Paperback Writer by The Beatles: "You say your plotline is based on a book by another author -- a Mr. Lear as I recall. You should be aware of the potential for a lawsuit if you've used characters created by another writer without his or her express permission."