I’m a slow reader. If I could devote all my free time to reading I could probably get through 4 books a month, but 2 is more realistic. Thing is, that’s speed reading compared to what I used to read. When I couldn’t read even 1 book in a year… Or a decade.
It bothered me a lot. I felt there wasn’t a point to me reading, because it took me so long to get through a book. Which slowed me down even more, because I’d set a book down, frustrated by how slowly I was reading and that I kept falling asleep (not because I was bored, but because the physical act of reading put me to sleep) that by the time I got to the end I’d forgotten the beginning.
This, on top of many school/teacher related discouragements about WHAT I liked to read (“Fantasy isn’t real literature”) drove me to the conclusion that I wasn’t meant to be a reader, because I didn’t read the “right” books, reading put me to sleep, and I was way too slow.
My husband tried for a long time to help me get past these terrible thoughts, but I’d already decided I was a lost cause.
Until about 2 1/2 years ago, when I decided I wanted to write a novel (which is a whole story in and of itself I will tell sometime,) and I knew, if I wanted to be a writer, I needed to read. (It can’t be a coincidence that I gave up reading and writing at about the same time…)
It was not easy. All the problems I had were still problems. The worst of them being falling asleep, no matter where I was, after no more than a page or two.
So, how did I fix this? I trained. Yes… Just like an athlete training their muscles to run further or jump higher, I trained my brain to read longer.
Everyday, or every chance I got, I sat down with my book (not in bed, since we all know that triggers the brain into sleep mode) and read just to the point I felt I might fall asleep. But never to the point I DID fall asleep. Then I put the book down and did other things.
It was difficult to do this and be OK with it. I worried I’d fall back into the old habit of getting frustrated I wasn’t reading fast enough, put the book down and never pick it up again. I think what made a difference though, was immersing myself not only in reading, but in writing. I was brainstorming, outlining, and started my first rough draft. I also discovered BookTube and Brandon Sanderson’s BYU lectures. I wasn’t just reading, I was neck deep in the bookish world and it kept me going.
After a few days, I was reading a few more sentences. A couple weeks went by and I was reading several pages. After a couple of months, I was reading multiple chapters in one sitting.
It worked!
And now, I fall asleep reading, but only because I stay up way too late to read just one more chapter.
The thing is, I’m still a slow reader, compared to many long lived readers, and I don’t think that will ever change. But now, I don’t want it to. All I ever wanted was to enjoy reading. I do now! Reading a book I love, slowly means I have more time with it and I love that!
I don’t know. This was on my mind, so I thought I’d share.
How about you? Have you always been a reader or did it take time to fall in love with books?
Take care!
That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time 😀 Not only did I get to meet my favorite author, Mary E. Pearson (The Remnant Chronicles) but I also got to meet three other amazing authors I need to read!!
Can I just say, I have the most amazing husband in the world? Because I do. He went to the event with me, and sat in the car for three hours, because I had no idea how long it would be and he didn’t want to leave me stranded by leaving me there and being too far away when it ended.
I got to Red Balloon bookstore about 45 minutes early, which meant I got to sit right up front! See the little red bag? That has an ARC copy of Dance of Thieves in it! And those are my toes in the bottom of the frame lol So close xD
The people in line were super nice, too. Made the wait a little shorter chatting with those around me. But when I got to the table, I felt bad I’d ran out of money and didn’t have a book for Tricia and Taran to sign. I bought Maureen’s book when I got there, because I don’t have enough YA contemporary in my library and a story about a food truck?! Umm… YES!
It was cool though. While she signed my tote bag, Tricia and I chatted about Black Sails, which everyone’s been telling her she needs to watch, you know, because pirates, but she hasn’t gotten to yet. lol
Then it was my turn with Maureen, who was so sweet to listen to me prattle on about my book while the line was backed up. To be fair, she asked for it. 😉 I mentioned I was really excited to read her book, about a Korean American girl and family and that I had a character in my book inspired by my Vietnamese American friend. I hadn’t expected to offer anymore, but she kept asking me questions and I basically pitched my book to her. xD Which was the first time I’ve ever had to tell a complete stranger, in person, about my book. Thank you, Maureen! It was invaluable experience.
Finally, I lay my pile of books on the table in front of Mary. There was a question during the Q&A, if the authors had ever met their heroes. Tricia had a story about blurting out that the first thing she said to her hero was, “Your book spoke to my soul!” She was mortified. Funny thing is, this was almost exactly what I wanted to tell Mary about The Kiss of Deception. But not exactly. So I used Tricia’s experience to ease into my experience with Mary’s book.
Then along came Mary E. Pearson…
When I was kid, I wrote all the time. Mostly on yellow legal pads and mostly about balloons for some reason. Once, pretty sure I was in grade school, but it might have been in junior high, I wrote a murder mystery about a live radio show, where the actors were being killed off during the broadcast. Now, to be honest, I’m pretty sure I just ripped off Radioland Murders (1994). But if you were to ask my memory and not my common sense, my memory would tell you, I wrote my story before the movie came out and they ripped me off, because I swear I remember being inspired by Phantom of the Opera and my story wasn’t a comedy. But I’ll never know, because I have a terrible memory, and that notebook is long gone. Not that there would have been a date on it. Still wish I had it.
But I had nothing to worry about, because when I told him how much writing meant to me, he understood and I moved forward with my writing. And I wrote and wrote and wrote. And I will continue to write until I run out of ideas. All thanks to the support of my #1 fan. My Tebbiebear ♥