The Elegance of Reading on Your Writing

Photo of a hedgehogIt has been eons since I’ve written anything here on my blog, and for that I apologize. It’s not because I haven’t thought of you, my fabulous readers/followers, because believe me, I have…often.

The reason my blog has been silent for so long is because my life has been so packed with running, racing, and coaching—my other passions–that something had to give.

That something…which I can barely admit here because it’s truly unthinkable…is…reading.

Gasp. I know.

Considering how much I love to read, it’s not something I ever imagined I’d let happen. But being in constant motion over this past year, I could never keep my eyes open long enough to get to the bottom of a page, or stay focused long enough to swim in the magic of words on a Sunday afternoon.

And here’s the thing: without reading, there is no writing. At least no creative writing.

It’s that painfully simple.

When you are not enveloped in the beauty of language and pulled where your senses are awash in imagination, writing takes on a different quality. Oh sure, you can still knock out little blips here and there, and if you’re lucky, you might even be able to eke out a gem or two, but to fully tap into your inner-writing amazing-ness, you’ve got to read.

Fortunately, after far too long, I’ve finally crossed back into the literary world, thanks to a morning run up the street with my dog.

Photo of neighborhood lending library

Our sweet neighbors set up a little neighborhood lending library in front of their house (yes, I live in Mayberry, thank you very much). On a whim I grabbed The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

That’s all it took.

The writing is so fine, I lingered over words and sentences longer than my morning cup of coffee (if you know me, you know how long that can be). We’re talking goosebump producing prose, and characters that make you continually contemplate the over-arching beauty and complexity of the world around us.

After reading this book, I feel like I can breathe again, like my right arm has been reattached, and I’m suddenly back to where I cannot ‘not write.’ It’s the same feeling I had when I knocked out over a dozen chapters of my book in progress, The Art of an Improbable Life, while at the same time writing magazine articles, blog posts and three-quarters of a novel—one whose ending still bumps around in my head.

Who knew that reading could have such a profound affect on one’s writing? Well, of course we all know how important reading is, but until you’ve survived a literary drought, you will never fully understand the depths of its importance.

Now that I’ve finished Barbery’s masterpiece, my mind is gleefully spinning, trying to decide which book to linger over next. I’m searching for one just as compelling as the last so I don’t let old habits creep back in and let other responsibilities become more important than my precious reading time.

Do you have any book recommendations for me? I’d love to hear from you!

Photo of doggy running partner, Doodles

 

PS: In the meantime, I thought I’d share a picture of my big brown running partner, Doodles. This was taken on a rare rainy day here in CA. He doesn’t go far, but somehow he always manages to take me where I need to be–like the lending library up the street.


Favorite Five Friday: Books

Favorite Five Friday is back. I hope you’ll join in the fun and share your favorite five.
Graphic of Favorite Five Friday Books
I know it’s impossible to narrow down your favorite books, but take five minutes or less and jot down what comes to mind first. I’d love to know what stirs your imagination. Together, perhaps we can create a fabulous reading list. Here are a few dozen other books I’ve enjoyed over the years (in particular order).
  1. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
  2. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
  3. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
  4. The Help, Kathryn Sackett
  5. The Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich
  6. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
  7. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
  8. Palace Walk: The Cairo Trilogy, Naguib Mahfouz
  9. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
  10. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
  11. The History of Love, Nicole Kraus
  12. A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines
  13. Native Son, Richard Wright
  14. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Kim Edwards
  15. The Girls, Lori Lasens
  16. Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortensen
  17. The Book of Bright Ideas, Sandra Kring
  18. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
  19. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
  20. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
  21. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
  22. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chavelier
  23. The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
  24. The Three Junes, Julia Glass
  25. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
  26. What is the What, Dave Eggers
  27. The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls
  28. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
  29. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski
  30. The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
  31. Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom
  32. John Adams, David McCullough
  33. The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
  34. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
  35. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
  36. In Exile from the Land of Snows, John Avedon
  37. Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
  38. Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa, Mark Mathabane
  39. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
  40. The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner
  41. A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind
  42. Cutting for Stone
  43. Wild