I’ve been having some difficulty reading lately. Not that I’ve been struggling to physically read, but more so that I’ve been struggling to find what to read. I’d started reading The New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh, an older cop book but as much as I loved it, I didn’t want it to end so I haven’t been striving to finish it. I’d also started 12 Rules For Life by Dr. Jordan Peterson but it was non-fiction and didn’t make me want to fly through it. It requires a little more thought and introspection than does the typical read so it requires a much more in-depth read than your typical fiction novel.
I did recently watch The End of the Tour starring Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg in which Segel plays writer David Foster Wallace, the author of Infinite Jest, a popular novel in the 90’s. I didn’t know much about Wallace but had heard the name before and thought he had been some older classical author but to my surprise was alive when I was starting my life. The movie was very good and gave a great insight into Wallace’s mind and his fear of being addicted to technology so he refused to have a TV in his house which is something I found quite interesting and I wondered how many books I would read each year if I committed to the same thing. Anyway, I found the little insights and the message of the movie to be fascinating and it even prompted me to download a sample of Infinite Jest on my Kindle so I can get a glimpse into his mind and how one of the most popular books of the 90’s was written. I’d heard of it before but didn’t know much of it so now may be the time I tackle it but it’s over a thousand pages so we’ll see how that goes. If I finish it, I’ll be sure to let you know.
I tend to read in spurts. I’ll find something that gets me back into it and I’ll complete the book in a few days and then after that I’ll read two or three more back to back to back before something else draws me away from reading as much and then I lose my momentum. Eventually I get back into it but I need to make it a priority. I don’t play video games as much as I used to nor do I watch TV as much, but I’ve found I haven’t made enough time for it with the time I do have to myself and I need to commit myself to it. I need to read and write more, period. Not only will it be better for me as a person but that’s also the only way I’ll reach my goal of becoming a full-time writer. Speaking of, I sent out a few query letters for Sirens so if I hear anything I’ll say something but if I don’t hear anything I’ll eventually self-publish. That may be how I handle my career and just keep self-publishing until I have fifty novels and then I can finally say I’m a novelist.
Drew Schroeder 