“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” –Stephen King
I need more time to read.
Edit: I need to make more time to read.
I’ve mentioned lately that I’ve started following Steven Pressfield (The War of Art, Do the Work).
Yesterday on his Writing Wednesdays [1] he wrote that we should Study the Canon.
In other words, read what’s out there. Read the classics. Read the experts.
I learned a while back that if I want to be a southern author, I need to read southern authors.
What? You don’t remember The Sound and the Fury of my trying to read Faulkner?
It’s true that I spent most of 2021 focusing on British History and authors. I’m still listening to both The British History Podcast [2] and Chopped Bard. [3] I may never finish.
It’s also true that I have a stack of books I need to read.
When I get the time.
Edit: When I make the time.
My challenge is setting aside that time and not falling asleep before I can read.
You don’t need me to outline my schedule and everything else I’m working on.
Just know that I’m acknowledging, once again, that I need to be reading more.
In fact it’s one of my Three Words for 2022 [4].
But just like the history that I wrote about yesterday, I’m never going to have enough time to read everything I want to read.
That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try.
I could go on … but I think I’ll go read.
Photo by Ed Robertson [5] on Unsplash [6]