Jumpstart Juice

The first year I began writing novels, I did so in relative isolation.

I wasn't yet familiar with the BlueBoard or the Teen Lit Yahoo Group. So I spent my days writing and writing and writing. It was pretty lonely. And while some days writing and writing keeps you in the zone, others you're simply writing and writing crap.

Once I discovered the thriving and active writing communities online, two pieces of advice that kept making the rounds were "read, read, read." Second piece was "read the genre you write."

The purpose of advice #2 was to help keep you up with what is being bought and sold in your genre. Sort of keeping your finger on the pulse of the industry.

I still don't do that much. Fact is, reading the type of YA I write feels like work to me. My mind still has a hard time turning off.

I read to relax. So while I read YA, I rarely rarely read the type of YA that I write. It makes the switch in my head go from reading for pleasure to analysis.

However, the first piece of advice I do my best to take. Granted, it's hard. I honestly don't have a good deal of time to read.

Hell, I barely find time to write unless I'm stealing it from the night or early morning. So you know reading takes a back seat.

However, reading is necessary to help strengthen your craft. I've known this all along and yet, much like exercise, knowing it's good for me is not always enough to force reading time into my day.

But no doubt, reading is like getting a creative push. Whenever I read, it refreshes me, lighting a flame under me to get me off the sofa and back into the office in front of my work.

I got in some good reading, over the summer, when I decided to take a small writing hiatus.

All of that reading stopped come September when I went back to writing. Then I got so busy with promo in October, that I haven't had time to write. Or rather, I find it difficult to focus on both writing and promotion. It's got to be one or the other. ::Shrug::

But my promo period is slowing down, thankfully, and my latest book has crept into my mind more and more. Friday night, I sat down to read Pillars of the Earth and even though I was deep into the world Ken Follett created, the book had a strange way of making me want to visit Del Rio Bay.

There's something about reading someone else's work that brings your own into closer focus.

It's weird.

Without having my own manuscript in front of me, I still instinctively knew - based on Pillars flow - some things I needed to fix in my work.

So this morning, for the first time in a month and a half, I sat down and began revisions to the manuscript. It felt good being back to work. Really good!

Stephen King was quoted once saying, every writer should read four hours a day and write eight hours a day. He was pretty blunt in that he felt writers weren't terribly serious if they didn't find the time to do those things.

I love me some King, but I felt like - with all due respect, some of us don't have the luxury of time to do that.

But alas, he's right.

Reading is a natural creative juice elixir. It's tough to have writer's block or not be inspired when you're exposed to good story telling.

Still, the day I have four hours to read without interruption will be the day my girls are grown and out of the house.

And today, I got in two hours of writing but not without the girls bickering at full volume, Princess Bea scratching (yes, scratching) at my the office door and the smell of burnt bacon assaulting my nose.

Hey Stephen, I'll make a deal with you - if you come and watch my kids for four hours a day, I promise, I will read during that time!