Are There Books in Your Bed?

In her book, Page by Page, writing instructor Heather Sellers' Chapter 6 is entitled “Sleeping with Books”.  For her this is literal, as she claims to have magazines, newspapers, books, etc. tangled up in the sheets and having her bed surrounded by stacks of more books.  "With books", she says, "I am promiscuous." (p. 50)  Now, I frequently fall asleep with a book and find it when I roll over on a sharp corner, but I don’t know that I find that much literary stuff in my bed.  Highlighters, bookmarks, reading lights—maybe…but promiscuous???  I love my books, I do.  Ahem...well...

Her point is that being passionate about books is a really good thing, especially if you are a writer.  "You can't get too far off track as a writer if you're reading.  In fact, I don't know any successful writers who don't read. Writers read. (emphasis mine)  Reading completes the gesture.  Reading is what we do.  An enormous part of learning how to write better is learning how to read, sensitively, attuned to all the colors and emotions.  In order to get better as a writer, you have to be able to read your own work, again and again and again. After a while, you learn how to listen for the clunky parts, the rich passages.  The best way to tune your ear for this work is to read with passion and abandon." (p. 50)

Of course, she says, you should immerse yourself in books of the genre you’re writing, but read some of everything. She calls this extending oneself, and says "You have to read against your grain."

Think about it.  What you’ll learn in background knowledge can be invaluable.  You may find a style that entices you, a phrase that starts your creative juices flowing,  You just never know.  Perhaps it’s one word or one paragraph that will crystallize a thought that’s been niggling at you.  Read, read, read!!  Not a hardship for most of us, right?

I love Seller's enthusiasm.  "My reading is a full-body experience.  I bathe with books and they bloom, like peonies.  Bath and the hot water mix together in a steamy decadent scrumptious love fest of reading." (p.53)  She does love reading, doesn't she?

Then, says Sellers, take that same passion you have for reading, that same enthusiasm for the next page and the next,  that love of words and phrases, and bring it to your writing.  For her, that means "My reading is infused with the same kind of obsession I want my writing to maintain." (p. 53)

Her best advice to those who love to read and want to write: "To discover or deepen your proper writing practice, I want you to think Love Affair.  I want you to make love to books!  Now I want you to imagine your writing life is a love affair.  Make a little love list.  What kind of relationship are you having with your writing life?"  Her idea of a good writing life: "nothing like school and everything like passion.  Even when you aren't doing it, you are happy because there is always something to think about, something next, something delicious and tempting and good.  Use your passion for books as a way to develop your passion for getting lost in your own writing." (pp 53-54) 

Does it get any better than this?  Another reason to read!

Speaking of reading...  There have been so many outstanding reviews which you can read on the Story Circle Book Review site so be sure to visit.  More books to read and savor and learn from and love...