The Interplay of Reading and Writing
At the Guardian, Hilary Mantel on “Real Books in Imaginary Houses” (link from Pages Turned)
But I am intrigued by the divide between those people If who say “I haven’t time to read”, and those for whom reading is like breathing and who, though they may be caught up with all sorts of texts, always have a novel on the go. For some people, the consumption of stories is a barely conscious function that runs parallel to eating, sleeping, having sex and earning a living. How do you live life without stories - live in just a single narrative, and that one your own?
One of the things I’ve learned about myself after having two children, now 2 and 4, is that I need to read and write. If I don’t, I become cranky, anxious and depressed. So I’ve had to remake my life to carve out time for these things. I have to say no to things. I have to remind myself that I don’t need any more hobbies, thank you, I have more than I can manage right now.
And I supposed that’s the only way I can understand someone who says “I don’t have time to read.” S/he must have some other passion, talent or hobby that comes first. Likely one that I’d say, “Oh, I don’t have time for that.”
August 4th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I can’t count the number of times someone who is in the same place in life as I am (homeschooling mom) has said: “I just don’t know how you have time to read.” My reply is “I HAVE to have time to read. It’s not optional.” My reading for the past 15 years has been mainly in the hour before I sleep, but I cannot go without that hour. It is breathing.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I think you are on the right track. Nowadays, reading blogs and nonfiction fills the void that I used to fill with novels. As for stories, TV and movies take care of that for me. With four kids in the house, it has been easier to focus on TV shows than on novels. It is also easier to say “I don’t have time” rather than admitting that I’ve lost a few brain cells :-). Now that my kids are older, I think I am ready once again for the challenge and mental stimulation that comes from focusing on a good book.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I only have (and only plan to have) two kids, and it’s still been a struggle to carve out time for reading and writing. But stories _are_ like oxygen to me. My soul becomes starved without them. TV helps, but it’s not enough. After getting the kids in bed at night, collapsing in front of a favorite show or movie is about all my husband and I can do. We go for stories, though. We never surf. Because then I might as well be reading. (And I even keep my book with me in case he needs to go to the bathroom, or go to check on the kids. Any free moment, you know. Heh.)
On a good day, I read as I can at breakfast, after I put my 2yo in bed for a nap, and right before bed. So there’s usually at least one time per day that I am guaranteed book time, even if it’s a crazy, atypical day.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Before I went to college, everyone said, “Don’t bring books to read for pleasure. You’ll be so overwhelmed with school reading that you won’t have time and they’ll just waste space.” I nevertheless tucked Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice, and a few other favorites in my suitcase, but diligently spent the first few months of my freshman year avoiding pleasure reading in favor of schoolwork. One of the great moments of self-awareness of my entire life was when I finally walked into the bookstore, walked straight into the fiction section, bought as many novels as I could afford, and read them all, in one great indulgent swoop. And when the roommates and friends said, “Wow, I just couldn’t possibly do something so frivolous as reading for pleasure — I’m just so BUSY and IMPORTANT!”, I just said, “Well, I’m not. And this book is great.” Others may not have had time to read for pleasure in the midst of a busy college semester, but for me, reading fiction wasn’t optional; it was required. As you all have said, it is breathing.