Yawn
It's never a good sign when your own writing sends you to sleep.
I've been wading my way through Benfro book one for the last couple of days, and fending off the drooping eyelids for a lot of that time. In my defence, I have to say that I've not been sleeping well recently and I seem to be permanently tired. The book's not really that bad either - some of the passages are really quite good IMHO - but after thirty or so pages I have to get up and walk around a bit just to clear my head.
And having thought about it a bit, I think I know what the problem is.
You see, I do most of my reading these days in bed, before turning the light out and going to sleep (or trying to go to sleep, see above mention of that not happening at the moment). Most nights that means I read a chapter or two, between twenty and forty pages, so you can see why my recommended reads don't change very often.
Current insomnia notwithstanding, I usually find reading last thing at night to be a good way to switch my brain off. Anything that is a distraction from the work of the day is good. On those odd times when my tbr pile has evaporated and I've just finished the last unread novel in the house, I'll dip into some of my sister-in-law's poetry, or try and make sense of the Mabinogion, the Vinland Sagas, even Opie's Classic Fairy Tales(always a good source of interesting dreams). I'm not much of a re-reader, I have to confess, but I need something written to press itself into my brain before I can sleep. I am conditioned so. I can't help it.
And the problem with conditioning is that it works both ways. So now, when I take up my manuscript first thing in the morning, I get to about page thirty and the eyes start to glaze over.
Perhaps my current lack of sleep is all to do with upsetting my normal routine. Reading during the day is confusing my poor little brain so much it won't let me rest at night.
What next? I'll probably start seeing dead rats in the kitchen.
I've been wading my way through Benfro book one for the last couple of days, and fending off the drooping eyelids for a lot of that time. In my defence, I have to say that I've not been sleeping well recently and I seem to be permanently tired. The book's not really that bad either - some of the passages are really quite good IMHO - but after thirty or so pages I have to get up and walk around a bit just to clear my head.
And having thought about it a bit, I think I know what the problem is.
You see, I do most of my reading these days in bed, before turning the light out and going to sleep (or trying to go to sleep, see above mention of that not happening at the moment). Most nights that means I read a chapter or two, between twenty and forty pages, so you can see why my recommended reads don't change very often.
Current insomnia notwithstanding, I usually find reading last thing at night to be a good way to switch my brain off. Anything that is a distraction from the work of the day is good. On those odd times when my tbr pile has evaporated and I've just finished the last unread novel in the house, I'll dip into some of my sister-in-law's poetry, or try and make sense of the Mabinogion, the Vinland Sagas, even Opie's Classic Fairy Tales(always a good source of interesting dreams). I'm not much of a re-reader, I have to confess, but I need something written to press itself into my brain before I can sleep. I am conditioned so. I can't help it.
And the problem with conditioning is that it works both ways. So now, when I take up my manuscript first thing in the morning, I get to about page thirty and the eyes start to glaze over.
Perhaps my current lack of sleep is all to do with upsetting my normal routine. Reading during the day is confusing my poor little brain so much it won't let me rest at night.
What next? I'll probably start seeing dead rats in the kitchen.
Comments
Or cure your insomnia."
That could produce numerous sales.