Filling the Well

There's a saying among artists that in order to keep the art flowing, one must always work to refill the well.  We do this (even non-artists) by taking in things that make us "full" - emotionally, spiritually, creatively, socially.  We watch movies, stand in front of magnificent artwork, laze about in the sun like cats, go for walks, sit in cafes and eavesdrop on the ebb and flow of conversation; anything that reminds us what being human really means.

While these activities vary from person to person, there is one that holds true for writers: Writers need to read.  We need to read inside our genre and outside of it.  We need to read non-fiction and poetry and plays.  We need to immerse ourselves in the written word, in another writer's world and characters.  It shakes off the dust of our own words, deepens our worlds, gives us insight into stale ideas, and makes our characters more well-rounded.

But really, if we're not reading, what's the point in writing?

My friend Katie recently set herself the goal to read 25 books this year.  When I first considered reading that number, my brain almost collapsed from exhaustion.  Since the berrykin was born, I read maybe 3. A year.  25 is "all the books ever" by comparison.

On the other hand, I just plowed through Ally Carter's I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You in three or four days.  You know, for research.

Oh, how I missed having a book in my hand!  The smell of the pages.  The snuggling up and refusing to come out from under the covers until my need to immerse was sated.  Ah, books!

About a quarter of the way in, I realized that I really need to read more.  Make that need.  Because as I said, what's the point in writing if I don't read?

I don't have a lot of time to read (at least, not anything longer than A Fly Went By...every night) and I'm not a fast reader.  I don't know that I can manage two books a month.  But I do have a To-Be-Read shelf full of books that have been collecting dust for at least three years (some of them have been there for five, since I last worked at Borders).  There are 17 books on it, spanning several fantasy authors I've been intending to read to Amy Tan to Nora Roberts to the remaining two novels in a middle grade epic.

17 books is a serious stretch.  It still seems like "all the books ever" compared to 3.  I'm not entirely sure it's doable...but I'm gonna try.

I'll post a list of the books soon, so I can keep track. :)