Starting to read again
Jan. 5th, 2019 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcI start this year with a considerable backlog of personal projects and deferred maintenance. Once settled back into my routine I hope to do better at making time for progress on my tasks outside paid employment. I will have more to say on the larger picture but this entry is about a recent promising change.
For much of my life I have read a lot but in recent years hardly at all. Last Saturday I borrowed a couple of science fiction novels from the library, Carey's
In pencil somebody had briefly annotated the first book with critical comments on its writing: I was amused to find myself agreeing. I reflected on how greatly I value editors: while I write reasonably I am in no doubt that guidance from a half-decent editor would much improve my work. I like clever people providing useful help.
A couple of days ago I recalled a scene from a recent story and tried to remember what it was from; it turned out to be from that first book. The memory may have confused me because it was so visual: I suppose that I must have been imagining the story as I read it and I simply remembered what I had invented. I also have a good memory of a handgun from a dream this morning but I suspect that I appropriated its appearance from one of the movies I saw over the holidays.
For much of my life I have read a lot but in recent years hardly at all. Last Saturday I borrowed a couple of science fiction novels from the library, Carey's
The Boy on the Bridgeand Lostetter's
Noumenonand over the following couple of days read them both which is most heartening. I am minded to go back today and borrow a couple more. If I can get back to reading then maybe I can also get back to other activities.
In pencil somebody had briefly annotated the first book with critical comments on its writing: I was amused to find myself agreeing. I reflected on how greatly I value editors: while I write reasonably I am in no doubt that guidance from a half-decent editor would much improve my work. I like clever people providing useful help.
A couple of days ago I recalled a scene from a recent story and tried to remember what it was from; it turned out to be from that first book. The memory may have confused me because it was so visual: I suppose that I must have been imagining the story as I read it and I simply remembered what I had invented. I also have a good memory of a handgun from a dream this morning but I suspect that I appropriated its appearance from one of the movies I saw over the holidays.
