Reading for Writing.

It's been a few days since my last post. During that time I have had a safe flight to Florida where I began my vacation with my family. My mother being the person she is has kept us busy since our arrival. Most of it related to the Christmas shopping ritual. Not being much of a shopper myself I find alternatives to keep entertained. Most of it involves either reading or people watching.

Reading is another tip I have read about countless times during my research on becoming a better writer. The two secrets to becoming a good writer - or so I have read - is too read and write. A lot. All the time. So I have been taking up the advice. Within the first day or so upon my arrival here I located a few books to read. Two of which are written by Patricia Briggs. They are the first two books in her A Mercy Thompson Novel series. Though the books are not generally located under the "Young Adult" sections, the main character is a female, which resonants with my Alice character - a little. Perhaps an older version of Emily would be more like it. One of the things I like about the book is that she keeps her character moving. The story moves along from the second chapter onwards. The first I thought was a little slow, though necessary.

Reading for research I find is different than reading for entertainment and more difficult. Evaluating a book, the tricks the writer uses, and wordsmithing (using words to create visions or emotions) requires one to detach themselves from the story being generated so see the words, not what the writer is trying to form in your mind. The whole exercise gets more complicated when the story is intriging.

I hope that I can keep the intrigue up with my story. It is the thing that I look for when I am reading. What is it about the story that is keeping my interest. It's looking like the key will be to keep the character or the main characters constantly moving. Constant tension within the scenes. I need to remember this as I write.