How to Write; How to Read

A lot of people do the reading part, and some people (hopefully a view of you out there) want to write or are writing. But have you ever thought about what you were doing when you did it?

This comes from English class today, where we discussed "Writing Rituals," which are exactly what they sound like. I determined that I must have music playing while I write, or I just can't seem to do it. I also realized that it can only be three types of music, two are specific bands/singers and the third is a genre. I can only listen to Enya, The Killers, or Classical music. I have no idea why that is, but if I listen to something else, I can't get in the mood to write, and that's what a writing ritual does. It gets you in that mood to write. So when you sit down to write, think about what it will take to get you focused on the page and not on the e-mail, the TV, or that good book you're reading.

Which brings us to the next part: How do you read? When I read, I need to be comfortable, so I don't get distracted by a sore back or by a leg that's falling asleep. For this the music changes. If there is music at all (which I don't need to read) it can't have lyrics whatsoever. I'm limited to classical music. That's the physical part, but now there's a mental part of reading, too. One blog I read talked about how we might look at a book like we do in a literature class, and I immediately thought, "Um...what?" I have never read a book thinking about the themes, why the setting is in the winter and not the summer. Basically, I don't analyze the book. Instead I take it half like a writer would and half like any reader would, and I think this is a good way to read. The writer half is looking at how the chapters and scenes are set up, why the author chose to have organize it, the different structures he used, and the metaphors. The reader half reads it because it's a great form of entertainment and I want to know what happens next. You can't get caught up in analyzing the book, because you'll remove all the fun from reading. As a writer, you can't read for pure entertainment because you should always be trying to learn how a good book is made. So compromise!