To be a good writer, you need to be a good reader. And that means making a regular habit of reading and reading widely. But what happens when you get into a reading slump and don’t really feel like reading?
I think reading slumps happen to the best of us, especially when we have a busy schedule, along with the stresses and troubles of everyday life. Other times we may just need a break or may just be feeling kind of blah.
But when you really want to re-ignite your love for reading, there a few things you can do:
–Participate in readathons: This is probably one of the easiest ways to re-ignite your passion for reading because it’s fun, it’s challenging and it’s focused. It gets you to concentrate on reading with a goal in mind and you’re pushing yourself to see how much you can read.
–Set aside specific reading times: Set aside some time in the morning, the afternoon or the evening to read. Even just for 30 minutes or less, if you’re strapped for time. I started reading in the mornings before I got out of bed and found that I was able to progress through a book in small chunks of time. It’s also a nice way to start the day because you feel relaxed and unhurried. I also read at night because it helps me sleep and it’s much better than staring at a screen before you go to bed.
–Peruse reviews and ratings on Goodreads: Scrolling through people’s reviews on books might interest you and motivate you to read. I find that seeing my friends’ comments on books catches my interest and the more books I add to my TBR list, the more I feel like getting through it to get to the next book.
–Remind yourself of all the wonderful benefits of reading: Reading allows you to escape to another world and experience it. There’s also studies that suggest reading makes you more empathetic because you are able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and experiences. Reading is a great way to relax too: for a few moments in time, you can just sit back and immerse yourself in another world. And if you like to write and want to improve your craft, it expands your vocabulary and gives you an intuitive sense of good writing.
Do you ever experience reading slumps? What are your tips for getting out of a reading slump?
Creative Writing For Me 
How I deal with a reading slump depends on what has caused it. When it is the result of reading two or three disappointing books in a row, killing my motivation to continue reading, I find that re-reading a book that I love re-kindles my enthusiasm.
If it is due to personal problems taking up my free time and/or pre-occupying my thoughts (which is the source of my current reading slump), I find it much harder to overcome.
That’s a great tip! When I go back to a favourite, it always reminds me of why I love reading so much. And that’s very true about life circumstances that make it harder to get back into reading. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.