I read a dark book and I was dark.
I read a spiritual book and I was holy.
I read a sexy book and I was…

Absorbing the written word is a lot like eating – you are what you eat, and you are what you read, right? I’m not saying that if you read a book about a psycho killer, you’re bound for a staring role on Dateline Undercover, but it will definitely affect your mood.

That’s why I’ve found myself drawn to escapism reading recently – I just want to step away from this explosion of global antagonism, vengeance of Mother Nature,  and the responsibility of upholding the shards of civility that are disassociated from our current existence. But that’s me. Some people find themselves drawn to works of conflict while experiencing a conflict. I mean how many millions of books on divorce are read by people battling a soon-to-be-ex and wresting with decisions on who gets the big screen TV?

The Telegraph published an interesting article a few years ago that got me thinking about why people read. Is it for escapism? To better ones’ mind? Or simply to relax? The study didn’t necessarily get into the ‘why,’ behind reading, but it did touch on the ‘what’….as in what happens to a body when they crack a book? The answer was surprising. The research found that reading a book for just six minutes reduced the stress level of the test subjects by 64%. That’s more than having a cup of tea, taking a walk or listening to music.

What’s even more interesting is that it didn’t matter what kind of book you read – as long as you were engrossed in the story. “This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and causes you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness,” so shared cognitive neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis.

So it really doesn’t matter why you read, it’s just important that you do.

As a writer the findings of this study could be a little daunting – I mean, what  author doesn’t want to guide someone into ‘an altered state of consciousness?’  Only a few of the lucky ones do. But as a reader or a writer…whoo-hoo! Bring on the six minutes of tranquility.

Check out the article when you get a chance: “Reading ‘can help reduce stress’”

#AmEdititng

* Edited

 

 

If you haven’t noticed, we’re away for the summer!

Be back in September. Have a topic you’d like to cover? Or maybe guest blog? Just let me know!

TeAnne@ChennaultCreative.com or JustRomanceforUs@gmail.com

I was reading Southwest: The Magazine on a flight from Houston to Los Angeles recently when I came across an article by author Margaret Cezair-Thompson. In Secrets of the Earth, Cezair-Thompson shared how she had returned to her childhood home of Jamaica to refresh her memory for a new book she was writing. Squeezed between two rather large men (I thought big guys didn’t fly Southwest?!?!) and wearing pants that got progressively tighter the longer I was in the air, I slipped away from my little space on the Boeing and into this authors’ life . Her experiences were fascinating, but a few simple truths shone through as I read the article:  writers write what they know and readers – at least in fiction – read about what they want to know.

As an unpublished writer who struggles with getting though a scene, a page, a paragraph, it was a subtle, but clear reminder as to why authenticity is so important  – and the lengths a good writer will go to acquire it. Sometimes when I’m looking at a blank page, I literally have to reset my mind to develop an authentic sentence. One that rings true because it’s based on something I have experienced in my 42 years – an emotion, a scent, a piece of scenery.  Authenticity can’t be faked.

Some people might say ‘fiction is all about the make-believe.’ Well, we all know that’s not necessarily true. The fabric of a novel might be an extension of a writer’s imagination, but the characters, the feelings, those are all based on something very solid.

…and that’s what readers appreciate: the believable, make-believe.

Research has shown that there’s a positive connection between audio books and literacy development in children, specifically vocabulary and reading comprehension. In fact, the research went so far as to say “the impact of purely listening to books is striking.”

Striking.

But the question I want to know is: are audio books good for authors?

Audio books may seem like new technology, but realistically, they are simply someone reading you a story out loud, right? And that is a tradition that’s been happening since the first word was uttered. Don’t get me wrong, I listen to audio books, and listen to them a lot. I even have my favorite narrators (VO actors? Whichever they prefer is fine with me) – Carolyn Morris and Eric Michael Summerer, ya’ll are fantastic – but admittedly, I’m listening to audio books while I’m DOING something…usually on my relentless endeavor to lose 10, er 5 pounds, through the rigorous physical exertion of walking really fast; and sometimes I listen while I’m cooking dinner and desperately trying to tune out the kids telling me they’re hungry. So, I am a lover of the audio book – as a listener.

Now over-and-beyond the benefits of the storytelling aspect of an audio book, are they good for the writer in me? I’m not so sure.

Reading the written word provides a number of benefits that are not as easily achievable as listening to it – such as absorbing the different writing styles of various authors, the critical thinking development that’s necessary to enrich your own craft of writing and the visual reminder of the organization or the pattern of writing. And my favorites: grammar and spelling. So if you’re listening to an audio book, you don’t get those fundamental technical reaffirmations necessary to be a good writer.

Two other components that I think also get lost while listening to a book are focus and concentration. If I’m lounging on a tropical beach with a Tequila Sunrise, I’m not listening to an audio book! No I’m reading that book because I have the time and am able to concentrate on one simple task. It’s the same at night in the bed: I’m reading – not listening (but really, I’m probably sleeping). As I mentioned before, I use audio books when I have to multi-task, but actual books (or e-books) are an endeavor that I undertake when I can delve deep.

In “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” Stephen King said: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” If he’s strictly talking about physical books, which I think he is, then I could be in trouble!

What about you? What do you think?

#WriteOn

When I was younger, I had the privileged of being able to read anywhere for any length of time – in the kitchen, in the living room, lounging on my bed…for hours and hours and hours (only child, right here). Now that I’m a married old lady with kids, if I’m caught with a book in my hand – or more commonly, with a tablet – I’m looked upon with suspicion. Why isn’t she making us a lunch that we’re too picky to eat, those little faces wonder. Why isn’t she watching super-excited animated characters with me? And then the inevitable guilt does actually settle in and I wait until the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep to relish and binge, only to have to wake up at the break of dawn to do it all over again.

So viola! I’ve created my own mental reading nook and no matter what big dark eyes peer at me over the illuminated face of my handheld device, I’ll be content on that lovely electric blue couch.

#AmReading