It’s time to read, and write good books for your fans.
In a recent Yale study, researchers found that avid readers may live as much as two years longer than non-readers.
Details of the study
It followed over three thousand people over a 12-year period.
They were placed in three groups. Group One was a non-reading batch. Group Two people read up to three and a half hours a week, and Group Three read more than that.
Conclusion
Those who read at least 30 minutes a day reduced their risk of death by about 20 percent.
Read for your fans
Autumn has been called the second spring, when all the changing leaves sparkle and shine, much like flowers in the spring. The nights are crisp, the afternoons still lovely, and there’s a sense of excitement as the seasons change. Like me, you may have sweet memories of the first days back at school, and the marvelous smell of new textbooks—knowledge, just waiting to be discovered. And for fiction, excitement, just waiting to be relished.
It’s also time to prepare for NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, a writing movement that has become worldwide (see global map of participants at http://nanowrimo.org/). It’s a club in which participants strive to write a novel in a month, where writers track and share writing progress and get pep talks and support from fellow writers striving toward the same goal.
Read your story idea file.
Autumn is a great time to revisit earlier plans. Been thinking about writing a series? Check your idea file. Like me, you may have story ideas already in there that have gathered dust and been forgotten. Now may be the perfect time to expand on it. Add a few notes and let it percolate.
Read your interrupted works-in-progress.
What was it that intrigued you to start writing it? Has your craft improved to the point that you can now tackle the issue that stopped you, mid-book? Or you may have held two jobs when you were writing it and ran out of steam, and now it’s time to take your fictional characters on the journey of their lives.
Read with your critique partners.
Write a brief story synopsis, and schedule a plotting and brain-storming session with your critique partners, who will also come to the table with their brief story synopses. Maybe now is the time to try a new genre, or write that short story or novella that’s been tickling your fancy for a while.
Read for the joy of it! It’s easy to get in a reading rut, reading for research, industry news, best-selling lists, marketing and such. What entertains you the most? Does your reading list reflect that? They say the hammock is the least used piece of outdoor furniture. Isn’t that sad? Schedule a date with your hammock and indulge yourself with a fabulous book of fiction. It’s sure to entertain as well as stimulate new story ideas.
Read, and live longer. Talk about a Happy Ever After!
I love this. Thanks, Janet!
Oh, Janet, how joyful to have a reason to read more books!! Thank you.
I’ve decided to use NaNoWriMo to kickstart a new novel and get me back on track after a summer focused on many other priorities. It’s going to feel really good.
Glad you enjoyed it, Nathan. I’m excited for you about NaNoWriMo, Pat! I imagine you’re almost ready to go by now!