I have, for some time now, had a well established writing routine, which sees me show up at the same place and time each day. But I recently shifted some furniture around in our living room and soon realised I had disturbed my reading habits by moving an armchair that I usually read in at lunchtime, which had me wondering, do we all have our favourite places to read?
Where my writing is concerned, I rock up every morning around ten o’clock at the smaller of the two desks we have in the study. Yeah, I know, lucky me, eh? Not only have we got a study but I actually have a separate desk for writing. Anyway, I wake up the laptop then get to it. Normally I spend around two and a half hours writing each morning, but it can stretch to three some days.
Having a routine like that is great because it’s the only way you get anything done. I also happen to like the place where I write because I’m next to a window and have a wonderful view of the village church and some neighbouring gardens. That’s ideal for those times when you need to give your eyes a bit of a rest.
The afternoons I spend on marketing and all manner of other activities that an indie author like me has to deal with if we want to get our books into the hands of readers. That sees me move on to the other, larger, desk in the study.
However, in between time I make and eat lunch, then decide how to spend the rest of my break. I might go for a walk, watch something on the TV (usually gardening related), have a chat with one of the neighbours or, very often, read a book.
I almost always have two books on the go at any time, one fiction and one non-fiction, and I definitely have my favourite places for reading each of those. Fiction I read almost exclusively in bed, since I find it’s great at helping to clear the mind of all the clutter that has accumulated there during the day and, so, makes it easier to get to sleep.
Non-fiction is a little different. I will read this pretty much whenever the fancy takes me and time allows, though never at bedtime, since that would get my brain more active not less. Whilst I will also happily read my non-fiction anywhere I almost always read it in one particular chair in the living room. It’s comfortable, the light is good because it’s next to a window and it’s a little out of the way, so I’m less likely to be disturbed.
I hadn’t really noticed before that I tend to read my non-fiction in the same place and it took moving that armchair to bring that to my attention. I do, it turns out, have favourite places for all my reading.
So, there we have it, it seems I’m even more of a creature of habit than I realised. Not only do I have a regular place for writing, I also have my favourite places for reading and even go so far as to have one for fiction and another for non-fiction.
But what about you, do you have a favourite place for reading? Do share and all the more so if it is somewhere unusual or just plain odd. I'm most curious.
All the best,
Ben
I not only write crime, mystery and thriller books, I also read hordes of them. Here are some of my most cherished favourites.