This week on the Open Book Blog Hop we’re discussing how a hobby makes us better writers.
I must admit that with all the writing and marketing I do, there is precious little time for hobbies. However, there is one hobby which has stayed with me since I was a small child – and that is reading.
I found that after writing my first two books in 2013, it occurred to me to look at the way my traditionally published reading books had been laid out. Oh dear, I realised I was writing in a block style and with few paragraphs, totally different to the books I was actually reading. This was brought home to me when the reviews started coming in for ‘The Porn Detective’, my debut novel. When I won a free edit, I sent off the unfinished manuscript for ‘The Pilates Class’, my second novel. When it came back it was changed to the same layout I had noticed in traditionally published books. The editor had also made helpful notes where I had used unnecessary adjectives, bad layout of dialogue, and marked where I had used the same words twice.
I started reviewing books by other self-published authors, and unfortunately found out that now I’m not able to read any book, self-published or traditionally published, without checking the layout of the page, whether the author has repeated words, and whether there is an over-use of flowery adjectives or bad spelling and grammar. In fact since my new found knowledge, to be honest reading is not the pleasure it once was. At one time I would read just for the pleasure of immersing myself in the story. Now I’ve got one eye on the story and one eye on the spelling, punctuation, grammar, and layout etc.
Do other writers find themselves doing this? However, it occurs to me that if I hadn’t been an avid reader in the first place, then maybe I would never have learned how to present my own books in a better light. Hey ho, it’s all a learning curve.
If you have anything to add, please do link your blog to this one by clicking on the link below:
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use ?#?OpenBook? when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Stevie Turner 
I am in complete agreement. I only wish I could read my own books and immediately see all of the errors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve found a way to turn of my internal editor when I’m reading (most of the time.) But if the book is really poorly written, I can’t keep the editor at bay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Stevie. There’s just so much to learn in the beginning, but reading other’s books is a good place to start.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But as P.J says, you can’t turn your internal editor off!
LikeLike
Ah, I’ll try the whole script. I hadn’t done that before. Thanks
LikeLike
I’m using the whole script, but I still have to add my link.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find I don’t get much time to read anyway, what with marketing, writing and reviewing if I’m asked to. Isn’t it a shame? There’s no turning back now…
LikeLike
I’m absolutely in the same boat. That’s why I don’t read much anymore unless it is to review someone’s work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on aurorawatcherak.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the re-blog.
LikeLike
No problem. It’s the easiest way for me to share your article. It goes out across 5-6 channels all at one time because I have a lot of social media linked.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t seem to make the Linkup thing work anymore, so have given up putting it in.
LikeLike
I accidentally discovered how to make it work. Paste it into the actual article rather than the HTML. I struggled for a few weeks before I accidentally did it that way one night when I was tired.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did try, but it doesn’t work. I usually link up to P.J’s blog now.
LikeLike
Hmmm. I don’t know then. I was going through the Facebook link for a few weeks there, but I continued posting in the article and then, one Sunday night, when I was hurrying to get it done, I posted in the article instead of the HTML and it worked. Are you just trying to post the WordPress link or the whole script? I have better luck with the whole script.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find I immediately start to critique other indie authors’ books, but not traditionally published books … until something jumps out at me. I was reading Murray Rothbard’s The Anatomy of the State last night and ran across a typo. I had to stop reading after that because now I was on alert and could no longer follow his extremely complex non-fiction. I’ll try again tonight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It gets you like that, doesn’t it?
LikeLike
It does. While Rothbard was a libertarian operating on a shoestring budget with his fellow libertarians acting as editor … Brandon Sanderson had better not mess-up my next fiction escape.
LikeLiked by 1 person