It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down to read a magazine from cover to cover. I think my aversion to newspapers and magazines started shortly after I left my ex. She had this habit of getting the paper every day and subscribing to every magazine under the sun, which was fine. She also had a nasty habit of letting them collect in piles throughout the apartment. After a few years of staring at the stacks of dusty magazines and papers, I never wanted to see another one again.
Then again, I did have my massive collection of books, but books are different, right?
I still don’t like newspapers. I can’t stand the sight of them. I think they’re a waste, and I hate the smell of newsprint. That’s another story in itself. When my brother and I were kids, my parents had a newspaper route. Every Saturday and Sunday at some ungodly hour in the morning before the sun or birds were awake, we’d drive to the printer, pick up stacks of newspapers, stuff them into the back of the Ford Grand Torino and get the deliveries out to stores and the dozens of paperboys in our part of the county.
When you’re a kid who gets carsick, this is not the job to have. I hated it, but Mom and Dad were doing their part to provide for the family, so we kids had to do our part to help too.
At any rate, a month or two ago my computer decided it didn’t like any of the Mp3 programs and I needed music. So, off I went to Best Buy to find a CD player component for the stereo. As I was checking out, the cashier asked me if I wanted one of the free subscriptions as part of the store’s promotion. The only one that remotely appealed to me was Rolling Stone. After all, if I didn’t like it, I could cancel it.
A few days later, I had to bring Lakota (my 6-month-old Pixie Bob kitten) to the vet. I sat in the waiting room reading the latest issue of Cat Fancy. At the time, I had been writing on cat care quite a bit. The articles in the magazine were interesting and gave me ideas for future articles of my own. I pocketed one of the subscription cards and mailed it when I got home. I also have a subscription to Bowhunting Magazine, which I have to admit, I only browse through for the pictures of all the high-tech gadgets coming out.
As I was skimming this month’s Rolling Stone, reading about Kid Rock’s upcoming release and the 20 year anniversary of Guns n’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction (my god, has it really been 20 years?), I realized that there was more to inspiration and information than surfing the net. There is something special about reading the printed word on paper as opposed to scanning through pages of a site. Reading a magazine or book, you come across articles that you might have missed if you read the online versions.
I’ve also noticed that the more I read, whether it’s magazines or books, the better my writing becomes. Many times, you can tell what I’ve been reading lately by the tone of my writing. If I’ve been enjoying the latest Terry Pratchett novel, I tend to inject more humor into my writing. If I’ve been reading something a little more classical, my tone becomes descriptive. My vocabulary seems to expand. Overall, the writing flows.
Reading everything you can get your hands on is a good way to stay in touch with the outside world and open yourself up to new ideas. It’s more fuel for the fire, and it exercises your brain. It’s good to see what other writers are doing and how they do it. There is a reason why certain authors do so well, and you can learn from them.
Now I look forward to getting something in the mailbox other than bills. My bookshelves are once again filling up with something other than technical manuals. When I sit down to read in the evening, I don’t feel guilty because I feel it’s part of my job. Reading is as good as getting out of the house to look for more stuff to write about.
So go ahead, indulge in a subscription or two, browse the bookstore and pick up a novel. You never know where it will take you.
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