Many writers say it: “I don’t read when I’m writing”. They think it will contaminate their voice, that whatever style they’re reading will somehow seep into their work and it really won’t be theirs. That’s only a problem if you’re writing a 21st-century urban romance and last night’s reading of Pride and Prejudice has you making your characters sound like they’re in an English drawing room and not a Miami nightclub!

In fact, if you’re not reading while you’re working on your book, you’re missing out on the many ways you can learn from authors past and present who have dealt with the very same issues you’re struggling with. I once heard that if a writer is stuck or has writer’s block, it’s because he or she hasn’t done their homework, and for a writer homework is reading. But how do you know what to read and how to make use of it? Here are 4 easy tips to getting the most out of your reading. Identify the Strategies/Techniques You’re Using in Your Book

Take out your book’s outline (or notes or whatever pages you have written so far) and highlight the writer’s tools you are using. Now you may not see them as tools. For instance, your character is sitting in a car and she’s having a memory of a car accident that happened when she was little and you tell the story of the accident. That’s a flashback. Maybe you used internal dialogue, maybe you’re telling your novel in the 2nd person voice or your whole book is historical fiction so getting the setting right is crucial. Once you’ve identified your main tools, ask yourself, “What tool do I want help with the most?” Then…

Hero Confronted With A Challenge. “Come with me, Luke, learn the ways of the Force.” This is pretty clear, right? There has to be a challenge, or a beckoning, or the character won’t begin to change-and all great writing is about change. 2) Hero Initially rejects the challenge, :I promised Uncle Owen I’d work on the moisture evaporators.” A real challenge, one that can provoke real change, will be frightening and exciting. A character will usually have some reservations.

Gaining Allies and Powers. Luke meets Han Solo, and Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan, and Princess Leia. He learns of the Force, and the use of Light Sabers, and how to fly and fight and rescue princesses. If your character doesn’t have to grow in order to resolve the problem, you may have chosen the wrong problem or character!

There was no way around it. Second, I knew from experience that everything in life is harder when you do not enjoy what you’re doing. I determined to find a way to make researching enjoyable for me. Third, I made researching enjoyable by deciding to only research about things that I really cared about. The transformation came when I decided that no matter what, I was only going to choose research topics that I really cared about, even if it made my projects harder or longer.

Learn more about hanging chairs. Stop by Timothy R. Longwell’s site where you can find out all about bedrooms chairs and what it can do for you.