A few years back, I used to wonder about writer friends who had stacks of unread books sitting around. I couldn't imagine letting all those great books go to waste. But after studying the mechanics of writing, I've learned a few things about unread books. They'll keep.
I still buy my favorite authors. I still read those books through the night. But the rest, they have to wait. Because I found that it isn't productive for me to get someone else's plot running around in my head when I'm creating one of my own. I don't seem to have any problems with reading books while I'm in an editing mode, in fact, I read voraciously at those times.
Before I became a serious writer, I read two to four books a week. That works out to sixteen books a month. And back then, I didn't reread books. I'd pick up a book and think, have I read this? And if I had, I put it down. Not so anymore. I reread lots of books. Especially late at night. If I'm tired, a pre-read book is just the thing. Because then (hopefully) I won't get caught up in the story and read all night. Because then I'll actually be able to put the book down and get a reasonable amount of sleep. But not always. I'm such a sucker for a good story.
What books do I like? Nothing too scary - I get vivid nightmares! I'm a fan of good writing, so most NYT best sellers are on my keeper shelves. My all-time personal fav is Jayne Ann Krentz, especially her futuristic books. And I'm a big Nora/J.D. Robb fan. All of my chapter mates in Washington Romance Writers and First Coast Romance Writers are great writers - I'm scared to list their names for fear I'll leave someone out.
And I'm a big fan of my critique partners' writing. We're getting it done, and our books should be on the bookshelves soon. Here's hoping that one day readers will gush over their favorite Maggie Toussaint books.
Until next Monday, Maggie Toussaint
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