Reading Insights from an Author

Life makes more sense now—well, at least in terms of my reading experiences. Now that I am a published author, I've made a few insights into my reading habits.

I realized I always had an author mind when reading books or watching movies. I don't put a ton of effort into finding plot holes unless they are glaring, but I can usually pinpoint what a book or movie did right and how they could change things to make them better. I never realized this until a writer on Twitter pointed this out. And it's true. Creating a great story requires tight plotting, believable world building, in-depth character development, and proper pacing. So it's only natural that authors have the ability to pick apart a book or movie!

Another insight is that I needed to change my reading habit. I am naturally a binge reader—so forget the weekend and I'll just enjoy my book and not move from my seat until I'm finished, thank you very much. But life is busy and this is not realistic. I binge-read because I like to be fully immersed in the world. My highly detailed brain has only so much capacity to retain information. I forget book details even when I stop reading for a day.

So then I wouldn’t read. I've since changed my habit and I finish most books within a week or so. I can usually figure out the details I forget. Notwithstanding the many benefits of reading, this change helps me because I'm enjoying a cool pastime. Keeping the habit is also crucial to improving my writing craft.

Lastly, I DNF (Did Not Finish) books now and I've discovered it's liberating! Prior to publishing, I had DNFed only two books in my life. The first was in high school, the book's graphic trauma way beyond my maturity level at the time and just generally not the escapism I’m looking for from my reading experience. The second book is popular so at the risk of having eggs thrown at my house—please don't—like any other DNF, it will remain unnamed.

Now, I have no problem DNFing a book because I simply don’t have time to spend on a book I am struggling to maintain interest in. With a second career as an author now, I have too much going on. Plus my 4- and 5-star book reviews give me TikTok content.

And that’s a wrap. Happy reading!