Welcome to Issue 57 of Writing and Other Stuff, a newsletter by me, Kim Scaravelli, with a focus on writing with personality and pizazz, and nurturing your creativity. Thanks for reading! If a friend forwarded this email to you, say thank you - and subscribe here.
Most folks assume that I'm an avid reader. πThey're wrong.
I USED TO BE an avid reader. And I love the IDEA of curling up on my sofa with a hot cuppa tea and a novel.
But if I'm honest...
I'm more apt to reach for the TV remote than one of the books I have neatly stacked on my coffee table. In fact, most of them have been dusted at least once.
That said, I'm working my way back into the habit of reading.
πProud to say that I read 3 books this month: a poetry collection, an autobiography, and a self-help book. And one of my well-dusted coffee table books is now dog-eared, so I'm making progress!
Cool quote
βThe more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places youβll go.β
Dr. Seuss
How I Got Back Into Reading
For a long time, I lied to myself about WHY I wasn't reading anymore. I cited busyness and tiredness as reasons, but they were really just excuses.
I'm a functioning adult (most days). And I find the time and the energy to do stuff I really want to do.
For example, I definitely find time to binge-watch British crime shows (even when I can't seem to find time to read a crime novel).
Note: This may be a bad example, because British crime shows are BRILLIANT! And crime novels are often lame. Just saying.
When I got honest with myself, I had to admit that reading wasn't a JOY for me anymore. It felt a bit like work. And maybe even ... boring.
Gasp! Are you allowed to be a writer if you don't like reading? Is this legal?!?
Once I ripped the bandaid off and accepted that I had lost my passion for deep novels filled with complicated characters, I started thinking about what I might LIKE to read.
Given my seemingly shortened attention span, I started exploring poetry collections, short stories, and quirky compilations of wisdom. (Check out 300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso. You'll love it!)
I also re-considered WHEN I might like to read - because I clearly didn't want to sacrifice my evenings of binge-watching. So I settled on the idea of reading for 15 minutes at the beginning of each workday.
Wow! That was a GAME-CHANGER because I'm not tired at 8:00am - and the events of the day haven't unfolded, so my brain is kind of clean and crisp.
That's how I got back into reading. Small tweaks to WHAT I read and WHEN I read.
Who knows... Maybe a year from now, I'll be ready to tackle those deep novels. But for now, I'm savouring the re-discovered JOY of reading - and congratulating myself on getting back into it.
It's working for me, so if you're trying to UP your reading game, maybe tweaking the WHAT and WHEN will work for you too!
Stuff Worth Sharing
There's a fabulous You-Tuber who dug deep into the question of Why We Stop Reading. You should watch it!
Note: I subscribe to (and love) her newsletter, Answer in Progress.
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π₯³And in case you're worried about the future of books - and reading - here's some good news for you, courtesy of CBC: E-Readers were supposed to kill printed books. Instead, they're booming!β
For the Word Nerds
Did you know that there's an official word for "old book smell"?
Itβs bibliosmia, and itβs caused by the chemical breakdown of compounds within the paper. This breakdown releases a palette of old book smells, consisting of a mix of almonds and vanilla, with a hint of coffee.
It's basically a sweet smell. And since humans are naturally attracted to sweet aromas, we get a hit of "happiness" when surrounded by old books.
πTHAT'S SO COOL!
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| I'm curious. What are YOUR reading habits like? |
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Thanks for reading. I'll see you again July 10th. In the meantime, if you like my newsletter, here are 3 easy-peasy ways to show your support. Pick your favourite now, before you forget!
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