Wait. Takes? No.
Took.
Now on an average week it would probably take me, well, the week, because I'd read very little until the weekend, and sometimes I wouldn't read very much then, either. This is because I have less time to read, and also because I'm a bit rusty--I no longer read for pleasure very often (by my standards), by necessity. And by "by necessity" I mean "for the sake of doing well in school."
Ironic, isn't it? I read less to do better in school.
Let me explain: I am the sort of reader that, when presented with a fictional world or story that is intriguing, likes to think about that world or story. The sort of reader that likes to analyze and learn from that world or story. And therefore, when I'm in the middle of the world or story, I find it hard to focus as much on, say, reading my physics textbook or filling in a Spanish worksheet. Because, to me, my mind is actively engaged elsewhere. This poses a problem when I have hours of homework to do, days on end.
For this reason, books are no longer an option, unless I either 1) am on break, or 2) forgo homework and/or sleep to finish the book before it disrupts the next day as well.
This also might attribute to the growing amount of TV shows (good TV shows, let me clarify) I've watched lately. While each series has an ongoing arc, the distinct storylines are over and done with in 45 minutes. I can sacrifice 45 minutes of sleep to get my fiction fix (yes, I am a junkie). Unfortunately, in eleventh grade, I can't space out reading a book in the same manner.
This is just a short explanation of why I no longer can read as much as I used to.
Wait until you get a house someday, FT job, married, kids, etc. A book finished in a day or two? Try a two weeks to a month when you find yourself working 10-12 hour days, housecleaning, home renovation projects, and oh yeah, continuing your own writing career.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself a person of "high energy". I tend to push myself and take on a lot of work both at the job and home. Now that spring is here, toss in the yard work and more home projects, and reading time is chopped down further.
One thing that I do to ensure that I read fairly regularly is to review every book I read on my blog. So I try not to let too much time lapse between reviews, else I feel like a slacker even though I spent a weekend killing myself around the house or a week burning out on the job and just want to collapse.
But school should take priority definitely. Good luck, Kieryn!