RobArt Penguin

Daily writing prompt

What books do you want to read?

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In my writing classes, many of the writers were avid readers. Reading is part of writing, that was a theme in the classes. My father was an avid reader, up to 12 books a month in his best days. My mother also read a lot, always with a book in hand, all the way to the day she passed. I met a woman at one of my shows who claimed to have read 250 books in a year. Reading is important. Years ago, I set a goal of reading 50 books a year. I am only averaging 7 books. In 2023, I had a big jump and finished 24. It’s hard. Sitting down and turning off distractions. It’s a similar struggle that I have getting to my writing. It’s the television. I grew up with television. My parents used it as a babysitting tool. Television programs rarely inspire me. I get frustrated: the characters are cardboard; the stories are simplistic or contrived; death is overused to induce drama or conflict; etc. It’s a habit I’m trying to break. The television is off a third more than it used to be. I’m making progress. I’m not sure I’m ready to take on 50 books in 2024. I’ll start with one.