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Staying Motivated to Read


Backstory

I've been reading since as early as kindergarten but it was in my early school years that I came across my first favourite book. I still reread it occasionally like my other favourites. It was the first time when I imagined a scene vividly rather than simply read a description, and that marks the beginning of my love for books.

There was a time when I frequented a local library. I didn't write down the books' titles anywhere so when later I wanted to make a list of them to reread, all I could rely on was vague memories. Somehow I managed to find many of those so yay for me. Unfortunately, not all of them can be easily accessed anymore...

At some point I stopped going to the library and began buying books. My slow reading speed might have affected it, as well as not wanting to bother with going to a library. I love admiring books on my shelves, too. What bookworm doesn't? Together with my family's old books, they make up a nice little library.

I would always try to read one book or one series at a time, except maybe that one time when I took a break from The Inheritance Cycle on an impulse, because it was really long and I had a sudden urge to reread Harry Potter. I returned and finished it later, however.

I needed smaller books to carry outside home before I got an e-reader, so sometimes I would end up reading different books in parallel. With time I've accumulated a huge pile of unfinished books I still wanted to finish someday (same thing has been happening to videogames). It's not that I didn't enjoy them, but I began experiencing difficulties sticking to things I had started, in all areas.

The Slump

a woman reading a book outside

Then there was a big reading slump. I can't even remember when it started, somewhere about two years ago or even earlier. I was reading less often, less consistently, almost exclusively in transport or in lines, especially as my habitual reading before sleep was replaced by watching videos. I still watch videos before sleep, by the way...

The slump got worse as I began reading a book in a foreign language, which slowed me down by a lot. Eventually I gave up. Even stopped thinking of myself as a bookworm. Until last year I was suddenly filled with determination to read at least a couple pages a day. I think I was supported by this idea that applies to any other thing as well: no, you won't get far if you do a little every day, but you'll get nowhere at all if you do nothing. I had to force myself at first, and still have to occasionally, but once I get back into the habit, I remember how fun reading is and why exactly I love it.

Juggling Books

Not literally, of course. You see, on top of one book in a foreign language, I soon began reading another, because once again, I had the urge to reread Harry Potter and didn't have the patience to wait ^ ^' Except this time I kept reading both series. I thought I'd stop there but then I began another series - it's a big one and will probably take the longest to read. Hungrily looking at the shelves filled with books I'm impatient to read, I resisted the temptation for about 6 months, when... You guessed it. That makes four series going on at once, not counting the one I've been reading outside home, and occasional poetry I rarely ever find time for.

You might be surprised, but it actually works for me. I don't get these books mixed up at all, as I am pretty familiar with the story and characters. When I have the time and desire, I can cram all four in a day, but these days I prefer reading in pairs alternately. If one book gets particularly interesting, I could read it every day instead of every other day for a while. Obviously, adding more books takes away time from others. I simply made a decision to more slowly progress through many series at once rather than having to wait until I finish one and start another. As long as I stick to what I started, I can combine as many as I can.

I think I'm going to continue reading in this way but I would ideally reduce the number to three. Maybe something from classic litetature or non-fiction, a favourite to reread, and something entirely new.

Journaling and Note-taking

Last year I also got into journaling. I didn't find it particularly useful for other things, but it works great for reading and further motivates me. I began tracking how much I read, when I begin and end each book. Besides, I started taking notes. I know, it might seem silly to take notes when you read fiction for fun. At first I thought I'd only write down things I forgot that surprised me, or some easy to miss details, but it turned out I forgot a lot more than I believed. So I also do it in hopes of remembering more (I do like rereading, but I also don't want to be stuck with the same books when there's so much more to discover), and maybe going back to my notes if I need to. It's going to be especially helpful for all the Harry Potter fanfiction I'm going to read soon, with their alternative universes. Finally, I have something to write in my empty notebooks that have been gathering dust. Isn't that great?

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