1. WriteOrRong

    WriteOrRong New Member

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    How Much Do you Read vs. Write?

    Discussion in 'General Writing' started by WriteOrRong, Dec 15, 2016.

    Do you spend as much time reading as writing?
    More time doing one or the other?

    How do you budget your 'literary time.'
     
  2. newjerseyrunner

    newjerseyrunner Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I spend about an hour every day reading on the bus to work and usually don't write at all. I write in longner segments on weekends usually.
     
  3. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    At the moment I spend an hour and a half a day reading, and less writing than I would like.
     
  4. xanadu

    xanadu Contributor Contributor

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    Most of my writing energy right now is being spent writing music, so at the moment I'm reading way, way more than I'm writing. However, when I've got the momentum going for writing prose, I write far more than I read. I am always consuming stories, however, whether they be prose, movies, television, or what have you.

    Which reminds me, I need to start writing prose again. Maybe this time I actually will, ha.
     
  5. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    It averages out. 4 out of 7 days I write exclusively, but on the days when I am going somewhere (3 out of each 7) I read and do almost no writing apart from the odd sentence out. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to, but my brain is so shut down that it can't form sentences :D
     
  6. Hubardo

    Hubardo Contributor Contributor

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    I read fiction about 2 weeks a year. Which is why I'm no good at this.
     
  7. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

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    I'd estimate 4 hours of reading for every 1 hour of writing. I try not to borrow reading time from writing time and instead mine it from time spent TV watching, surfing the internet and other passive activities.
     
  8. antlad

    antlad Banned

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    Over a year it probably averages 66% reading, 33% writing.
     
    nastyjman likes this.
  9. Quanta

    Quanta Senior Member

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    I write in the morning (about 2-3 hours, but it's mostly editing and some re-writing on draft 4 of my only WIP) and I read for about 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime, two weeks on, one week off, to coincide with my husband's work schedule.
     
  10. ddavidv

    ddavidv Senior Member

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    I tend to mostly read, then when the mood/idea cannot be denied any longer I write nearly every day for at least 1-2 hours. I do tend to read more non-fiction than fiction when I read though.
     
  11. malaupp

    malaupp Active Member

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    When I'm in school it tends to be more writing than reading. Simply because the sheer amount of non-fiction books I have to read for class tend to put me off of any book beyond the easiest, cheapest romance ebook (y'know, the kind you can read in an afternoon?). Plus, all the research I do for school tends to give me a lot of fodder for writing.
     
  12. Stuart B

    Stuart B Member

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    At the moment I write (blogging) more than I read. I want to make more time for reading because I think it helps with your own writing if you expose yourself to more stuff.
     
  13. Alex R. Encomienda

    Alex R. Encomienda Contributor Contributor

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    This year I read The Screwtape Letters and some short stories in Sartre's The Wall. I have very little time these days so if I must choose what to do on my free time it's always writing. Actually, I just spent six hours editing my WIP, rewriting my cover letter for poetry submissions and editing other works when I could have cut time in half between reading and writing; but at least I get to read these comments!
     
  14. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I spend at least half an hour each day reading. Writing varies anywhere from no writing at all to half an hour a day. I used to have a lot more time to do these things. :(
     
  15. SadStories

    SadStories Active Member

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    This year I've been writing far, far more than I have been reading.

    I want to read more, but I've noticed some of my fatigue from writing tends to carry over to reading. After writing for several hours I'd rather do something else. I wonder if this is something I should fight against until I just get used to spending most of my days with words. I've heard of several writers, like Joyce Carol Oates and Paul Auster, who allegedly spend all of their day writing and then read in the evening. Maybe their life outside of that is more eventful than mine. Or maybe I'm just different.
     
  16. Crazy-catfish

    Crazy-catfish Member

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    I was about to say something similar!

    I used to read a lot, but then life just kinda took over!
     
  17. Youssef Salameh

    Youssef Salameh Senior Member

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    Hi, to me reading is more important. Reading lets you psychologically get in touch with thoughts which the author wants to convey. In such case, and according to the experience you have, you can write in you own style what you like.
    As for me reading is very important. But Writing requires absolute patience.
     
  18. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    It's hard for me to gauge writing vs. reading. At a guess, I'd say I write about half as much as I read.

    In a typical week (when I'm not working on a novel) I read:
    • at least 25,000 words of scientific/technical research,
    • at least 6,250 words of writing how-to advice, and
    • approximately 20,000 words of social media (including forums, FB, and email).
    And in that same week, I'll write:
    • about 5,000 words on social media,
    • between 1,500 and 2,500 words in notes, either for a WIP or things I want to remember for one reason or another),
    And if I'm working on a novel, add anywhere from 2,000 to 4,750 words in 'finished' pages (which I usually rewrite at least partially the next day).

    To summarize:
    (in a non-working week)
    Read: 51,250 words
    Write: 7,500 words
    Ratio: 6.8:1

    OR
    (in a working week)
    Read: 51,250 words
    Write: 12,250 words
    Ratio: 4.1:1

    Interesting exercise, BTW.
     
  19. Run Escape

    Run Escape New Member

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    Read a book last month. Last wrote 2 years ago. There is no pattern.
     

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