By Barbara Britton

Do you enjoy reading the same story multiple times? I read a book once unless I happen to be going through publisher edits. Recently, I have gone through content edits, line edits, and galley readings of the same story…my upcoming release. I get tired of reading my work over and over. I read every word aloud looking for errors or hard to pronounce sentences. By the time I’m finished, I hope to have a book with perfect grammar, but I am tired of my story. I still love my characters and their journey, but I need a break.

The increasing to-be-read pile.

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Being in editing mode places me behind in reading the new releases of friends, or a book that catches my interest. If someone gives me a book to read, it is going to take me longer to get to it. Reading should calm us and give us a sense of rest in a busy world. When my TBR pile gets too high, I start to stress.

I have learned from several sources that reading for thirty minutes each day is good for the brain and may delay dementia. I have my eighty-eight-year-old mom reading every night. I supply her with books from my towering TBR stack. I need to take my own advice and read for my health. The double whammy will decrease the books in my TBR pile and help my brain function. I may even sleep better as a side benefit.

Authors as readers.

Publishing insiders will state that those who write books should be reading them. This is true. As an author, I can improve my writing style by processing and enjoying books written by others. It is unfortunate publishers don’t build in ‘reading for entertainment’ into the editing process. An author’s brain health would skyrocket, and the publishing schedule would remain intact.

I’m looking forward to getting back into a daily reading routine in November. Wait, what? It’s November already!

How is your to-be-read pile doing?

 

 

 

Barbara M. Britton not only loves to write about the Bible, but she has also taught Bible stories for over thirty years. She is multi-published in Christian Fiction where she brings little-known Bible stories to light, or she makes you swoon with her sweet romances.

Barbara has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband of almost four decades and an indulged cat. Her sons are grown but they still come home and request their favorite recipes.

You can find out more about Barbara on her social media @BarbaraMBritton or on her website barbarambritton.com.