Reading and the Writer (and the Reader as Well)

   Scythrop Glowry on May 23 13:56:41

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"Like the writer hates to read..."

Is a lyric from a song in the silverscreen musical A Touch of Venus . The character was singing about his love for a certain girl and describing it by saying that it was as much as so and so hates such and such.

I wonder where the songwriter got such a rediculous idea.

I think all the writers I have ever heard of loved to read. That is the way they became writers. I myself, as a writer, most certainly love to read. You know this by reading my other posts here. I not only love to read, I love to read old stuff. Hard stuff. The first classic I read was Flatland . I think the second was A Tale of Two Cities (I didn't finish that one, but I got halfway through. I think I was twelve). I might have read the Anne of Green Gables books before then. Now I read old stuff and only old stuff.

But this is a long preface. I didn't really need to tell you this. Almost everybody except that songwriter knows that writers love to read...and, anyway, I want to talk to anyone here who might possibly be a writer...so they would certainly know. But I won't just talk to writers. At the end I will give a note for readers.

I highly recommend reading according to what is most helpful at the tkme you are reading.

As a writer, gathering inspiration and information are my main priorities.

Right now, I am writing a book about four sisters in 1890s America...so I am reading two Victorian novels written by American authoresses and one other book by an American authoress written in the Edwardian era. I started the last book because it delt with a rather perturbed young heroine from 16 into her twenties. That put me in a better frame of mind to write about my own perturbed heroine in her early twenties.

• Location
• Time frame
• Subjects
• Style

These are my considerations when chosing a book for inspiration and information. Yes, even the style is important. What if I were writing a story with a cheery overtone and reading a book with a decidedly dreary overtone? Reading A Girl of the Limberlost might not have been a good idea when I was writing a certain vibrant, humerous, cheery coming-of-age novel, but it fits my current desperate, prideful, foolish overtone much better. Pat of Silverbush was perfect for when I was writing that coming-of-age novel.

(Just so you know, neither A Girl of The Limberlost nor the present books I'm writing are "downers".)

Since very few if any writer will ever read this article besides me, I will now change over to talking about readers. I could talk more about the method for writers (and likely will) but not now.

As a reader, simply, I still try to choose books that are best for the time. When I get some time to spend with my father, I try to read some book thst might remotely interest him in conversation (lately, The Invisible Man , John Jerome , and Tristram Shandy . I gave up on The Invisible Man it was rather dull to me.)

I also go by what I'm in the mood for or what would refresh me. Some books can be absolutely refreshing. Sometimes I stay out of an absorbing book on a busy day.

Sometimes I read a book someone else recommends so that I can make them happy and talk about it with them...as well as enjoy what they enjoyed.

Oftentimes I choose a book for indoors because it is online, or outdoors because it is a physical copy.

I have heard, and I'm quite sure it's very good, that you can read books according to seasons and weather. I'm trying to think of something that would be good in that way...

Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed would likely be good in the summertime.

The Price of Youth by Margery Williams should definitely be begun on a dark, stormy afternoon, preferably with the windows open just enough to smell the air.

I think both A Girl of The Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter and Just David by Ealanor H. Porter would be good in the autumn.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding is good for wintertime.

When you have disliked a classic novel on your first impression but want to be sure you weren't mistaken about it, you should go out on a lovely day and read it outdoors.

When you're down, tired, or restless you should read Crotchet Castle , Nightmare Abbey , Pat of Silverbush , Anne of Green Gables , Pollyanna , Miss Billy , or The Heroine or The Adventures of Cherubina . These are almost sure to cheer you up and refresh you. If you are a sensitive person, the last one may need to be saved for when you're happy, but if you're not and have a good sense of humor, it'll have you grinning.