I have done a little reading (but mostly sleeping)...sigh...I hope to catch up this coming week and get back on track with Picture Writing...
Until then, I want to discuss Reading Journals (which is what Ms Suen was discussing in Picture Writing before I got sick).
I have kept Reading Journals on and off over the years, not really understanding their purpose. To me, doing all this reading was taking away from my writing. But by reading PW I found the purpose of these RJ's.
- They help you stay in touch with the market. New books hit the bookshelves several times a year. And you don't want to send a book to a publisher that is just like the book they just published! YIKES!
- You need to read to train your eye. You need to see what works and what gets published.
- Read to discover what you like. This will help you hone your skills and write better.
These are just a few of the reasons a RJ can help you be a better writer. I don't want to spend all my time reading, so I'm setting up a schedule. I will take the books with me and I will read during lunch when I'm at work. That will leave my evenings free to write.
So, do you use a Reading Journal? Do you read books in the genre that you enjoy writing? Do you find your RJ helpful? How many books do you read (in the genre you write) in a weeks time?
Happy Reading and Writing! Hugs...
4 comments:
I'm weird.
I read a lot more than I used to, but probably still not as much as I'd like.
I tend to write upper MG because I write younger MC's more naturally. But I have to force myself to read books at that level -- I much prefer YA for reading pleasure.
Maybe one of these days I'll manage to write a YA.
Hope you're feeling better!
I definitely read MG, but I also read YA, mystery, and literary fiction. I read every night; Ican't sleep without reading!
Sorry to hear you are not feeling well!
It depends where I'm at in my writing. Let's say I'm having trouble with dialogue then I'll look/read at Jk's books or with pacing and suspense, I'll look/read at Lowry's. Writing tight I'll look at Patricia McCormick's books.It all depends but I definitely read YA, really because they're much better quality than Adult books.
I like your new blog look :)
I enjoy writing MG, and I really enjoy reading YA...I am finding some great MG's to read though and it is kinda fun to sit down and laugh at the dumb stuff MG'ers do...grin...
I agree with you Angela, they are much better quality then Adult books these days...
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