Reading

Yeah… when others were asking me what I thought of Cloud Atlas, Jane Austin and the like…

I was busy reading comics, watching K drama and anime.

To my defence, being an immigrant and having english as a means to survive, we did not have Franz Kafka, Jane Austin, not even Dr Seus in the bookshelf. (Yes from these selections you can tell I' had to think hard about who I think sounds impressive?) I consumed stories on different platforms.

That’s not a bad thing. No. Actually, I think it gave me an unique outlook on stories.

However, it isn’t awesome for writing.

It took me several years to admit this.

By reading another’s works, you subconsciously pick up how the sentences flow, how they used dialogue, the language used. I remember my masters tutor read my draft and asked “why did you describe this like this?” because the sentence made sense, yet it was clunky and awkward.

And reading… is a challenge.

I have a huge expectation of what a story will do. And I’ve had many books that let me down. Perhaps I was only focused on the story. I didn’t care about the beautiful language it used, how it really tied in the atmosphere or the message.

So when I strip it completely for a story - my selection can be very narrow.

Reading is a habit! The more you get into it, the more you will read.

SO I NEED TO READ.

My goal is currently 1 book per month… paltry. But hey. Gotta start somewhere!

Anyone wanna read with me?

I’m currently reading: “The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton.
Not what I would normally pick up, but I was recommended this for a good murder mystery book. (Also to help with my new book)