I’d like to ascertain if I’m alone in my reading problems… or maybe that should be reading hang-ups, as it’s something I’ve never been able to pinpoint. I love fiction. I like losing myself in a story, and can sit through an entire LotR film without breaking for so much as a piss. So why can’t I manage more than a (short) chapter or two when reading? That may not sound so bad, but consider the fact I can only manage one ‘session’ (usually in bed before sleep) per day, and further consider it’s rarely every day. Now you may just assume from this that I haven’t been reading books that sufficiently engross me, but I have the exact same problem regardless of how much I’m enjoying the book. The Handmaid’s Tale is a great example. I began reading it and can honestly say I was thoroughly enjoying it. But one night I didn’t pick it up (I was maybe 6 - 7 chapters in) and for some bizarre reason I never picked it up again. It just sat there on my bedside table for a good year or so, before it eventually went in the trash when I moved home. I have tried to analyse this, and the best I can come up with is the fact I struggle with the act of reading itself. Almost immediately, within a sentence or two, I become acutely aware of the process, so much so the words aren’t really registering. Instead of losing myself in the story I’ll think about how I’m holding the book or the fact I’m uncomfortable because my head isn’t supported properly. I’ll wonder about the position of commas or why a new paragraph has been started. I’ll even begin an imaginary debate about, for instance, eBooks Vs real books, and why I’d argue real books are better… in short my brain will drift towards pretty much anything but the words on the page. Maybe I just have ADS
I hear you! When I was younger, if I got into a novel, I would read it for hours -- a whole flight, all morning in a cozy chair, or a full day lying by the pool. Recently, while reading fiction, I have struggled to read more than a few chapters at a time or sometimes to read at all. I joined a book club to force me to read novels through to the end. I also discovered that it's easier if I make fiction reading part of my daily tasks, sit upright at my computer and read ebooks. I had the same problem with the Handmade's Tale. Perhaps because it's dystopian. It's not based on real life. Oddly, I have less of a problem reading non-fiction books. So I have deduced this may be a clue to the real issue. I'm not learning anything while reading fiction, so I'm quickly bored. I also wonder if our brains have become too dependent on visuals. Even when reading the news on the internet, they provide numerous pictures or short videos. Your brain simply doesn't have to work as hard. I keep thinking I will find this hot new bestselling author like James Mitchner, who could use a fictional story to teach me something about the world. I'm actually trying to write books like that myself. What type of things do you write?
I don’t anymore. Maybe the occasional poem when inspiration strikes. When I was writing, I had a bit of a thing for near-future fiction (I think they call it speculative fiction these days) - stuff based in reality, on Earth. Gritty but with a near-future slant. Imagine Charles Bukowski mixed with William Gibson. The one novel I always wanted to write, though, was a meandering road-trip in which a couple of friends cross America, eating at diners and meeting interesting characters along the way. As for your take on things, I reckon you’ve made a great point about the absence of visual stimuli when reading.
You might try reading in the daytime, sitting in a chair. When I read in bed at night I often start to fall asleep within a few minutes and can't remember much if anything of what I read because I was too tired. Getting in bed makes you want to sleep. If that isn't it, it almost sounds like you've developed some kind of aversion to reading. I don't know what would cause that. Maybe you just don't like it anymore? Wait, you said you buy strange obscure books about odd things. Nonfiction. Gardening or something? No, I think that one came in by mistake. Do you get the same effect when reading those?
It sounds like you should try some non-fiction. Choose a topic that really interests you. We tend to learn more from non-fiction, and that engages us. I usually have a fiction and non-fiction going at the same time, and lately the non-fiction has been interesting me a lot more. I know it's not the politically-correct opinion, but I really did not like The Handmaid's Tale. I thought the writing was terrible and the story ridiculous. Required too much suspension of belief. It's not the story I would write about a woman's sovereignty over herself. Much prefer Alice Munro over Margaret Atwood.
Have you tried playing white noise, like a storm/thunder on Youtube while reading? Sometimes that's the only thing that can keep me on task. Candles on occasion, too. Have you tried stretching or exercise before reading? My attention span greatly increases after a run or lift. What are your thoughts on audiobooks? I personally only like them for non-fiction, but maybe you'll find that format better in general.
It's possible that you are experiencing an acute case of Writer's Reading Syndrome. It can be more difficult to get lost in a story after working the craft for some time. I've mostly been aware of writing style, structure, and all that before I started taking my own writing seriously enough. And then after that.. when I am reading something, I start thinking about whether I am on the same level as the author, if I could have written something better, or if they are way out of my league. I start analyzing while I am reading instead of purely enjoying the story. Fortunately, this only seems to occur when I am reading something that seems to be below my own writing level, which is the minority of what I read Outside of having a couple drinks before you pick up a book, all I could say is try to switch off the critic to an extent, somehow.
I’ve tried daytime reading but this doesn’t really help. I get restless, like I’m sensing there’s something else I could be doing. Maybe you’ve HtNotH when you say I simply don’t enjoy reading anymore. I have tried not fiction but I display similar symptoms. Added to that often feel like non fiction is somewhat of a chore, almost like I’m back at school. Some very interesting suggestions there that I’ve not tried. Audiobooks don’t work for me. In fact I find them harder that normal reading, although for similar reasons. I begin to analyse the reader’s accent, their pronunciation, awkward pauses. I find I’m listening to them rather than the story. I think you’ve have a case with the AWS. I’m sure I wouldn’t analyse structure and punctuation like I do if I’d never tried writing myself.
I don't have my secret decoder ring. What the %$#@$ does this mean? Oh Ok, I got it. Hit the nail on the head!
Over the decades I've read enough books that had I kept them all, I could make a good start on building a replica of the Great Wall of China using books as bricks. I don't read nearly as much fiction as I used to; I simply don't enjoy it as much as I did even ten years ago. I've never been the one to force myself to finish a book just because I started it, but now if a book doesn't catch my attention within the first chapter, I'm done. Yeah, I know people are recoiling from the idea of a novelist who rarely reads novels, but I've got a lot of hours of stored up credit.
Pretty much the same for me. As I've morphed into an old coot, I've lost most of the patience needed to read a lot of fiction (and I've read a lot of fiction). I can't figure out if transitioning mostly from paper library books to ebooks had any influence on my preference (now) for non-fiction.
Same. My interest in fiction has dwindled significantly. I can still do it, but I need to find something that really interests me, and I've gotten a lot choosier. My main interest is in non-fiction these days.
@OurJud Have you tried setting easily achievable reading goals? Something like ten pages a day? If you can consistently hit that mark you’ll be able to finish a handful of novels a year, and over time you might be able to develop your ability to sit and lose yourself in a good book.
I haven’t, no, but it’s not a bad idea at all. The only stumbling block there might be my refusal to stop reading mid chapter. I’ve always had this thing about finishing a chapter before I stop. I see chapters as episodes of a tv series, and I’d never stop watching an episode of some show before the end. I have, yes. In fact in the last couple of weeks I’ve procured three new books, all on the subject of food, and I’ve not picked up any of them since I came by them.
Hmmm... This is a conundrum. Perhaps you just don't feel the urge to read books. Do you read other things like magazines, internet articles, short stories, poetry, or cookbooks?
I can’t say I do. But what I can say is that this thread, or more to the point the replies from those outside my head, have helped me see clearly, more than I ever thought I could, why I don’t read. It’s a lack of desire, short attention span, and a prevailing sense that there’s always something ‘easier’ I could be doing. I don’t read due to a bizarre form of procrastination. I think I’m making the mistake of thinking I want to read, rather than simply accepting I don’t.
I had a similar problem with studying cello. I tried to love it because I thought I should love it, but bottom line was I hated to practice and I hated playing in public even more. If you don't like to read, then you don't like to read. My husband, while more educated than 80% of the population, never cared for recreational reading until he'd been retired for a few years (if starting one's own business can be considered proper retirement.) Now he reads far more than I do.
Excellent realization! Based on your articulate responses to others on this thread, I'm pretty sure you don't have ADS.
I suppose so. It’s rather hard for me to accept, though, given my passion for the written word. When I was a kid I use to devour adventure stories. Nothing else existed when I was reading them. It saddens me to think I’ve lost the ability to escape like that.
It's possible your taste has changed. Mine has become more sophisticated. The kind of stories I liked when I was younger just don't do it for me now.
