Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Well, I must admit I checked out

... the second installment of A novel in a year, and I was especially pleased to learn that she's heard other novelists say they don't read other writers when they're working on a book. I've heard that, too, and it left me wondering. I can't imagine cutting myself off novels.

2 comments:

Anita Daher said...

I'm careful of the same, Brenda. The worry is that you might unconsciously pick up a little of the "voice" of who you are reading. I heard once that Guy Vanderhaeghe reads poetry when he's working on a novel, nothing else.

Still, to not read? Considering some books take years, this is a bad idea, I agree. I read freely when I am in stages of avoidance and procrastination, but when I am doing the more focused and intense thing I simply avoid novels, and read books very different from what I am working on. Last weekend, in the tub, I spent quality time with Khalil Gibran...

Brenda Schmidt said...

Thanks, Anita. It's great to hear how you go about it. It's certainly something that people talk about. I guess I won't know what my approach is until I've actually finished writing my novel, and at this rate it will take several decades.