Story Sneakiness

Dear fellow writers,

Another writer recently asked me how I find time to consume so much story. The answer: I sneak it in throughout the day. How you may ask.

I wake up, hit the alarm clock (literally), and reach for whatever novel I'm reading. I consume five pages. Then I read one poem, and finally, before I take a step out of bed, I read five pages of whatever nonfiction I'm reading.

Sometime around midmorning, I usually sneak in a story break of 10-15 minutes with a mug of coffee. Another 10 minute reading occurs after lunch, and one more 15 minute session with afternoon tea. Before you say, this could NEVER work for you, think about it. Other professions have work breaks, don't they? I'm just interrupting my other daily work to create story breaks.

After I write in the evening, I read for at least one hour. This is often the time I look at a story more critically, but only after I've first read it for pure enjoyment of story. I also usually watch a film or a TV show (yes, this is story consumption). I just watched Vantage Point. Holy points of view!

And in previous posts, I mentioned sneaking story in via audio form in my car and while on running. Soooo, if you're good at being sneaky (and aren't we all?), you could rack up some serious story consumption!

Until next time,
Write on!