3 Tips to Dig Yourself Out of a Reading Rut

We've all heard of writer's block, and so many authors have written blogs and articles and essays and social media posts about how to overcome writer's block. But what happens when you're in a reading rut? When you can't seem to get into a book? And I don't mean a lack of reading materials, but the inability to get engrossed in a story or stick with a book longer than a few pages. 

I've been struggling with this recently. While I don't have a lack of books to read -- my TBR pile is out of control and grows steadily -- I haven't been able to really stick with anything. I start books and then quickly lose interest after a chapter or two. Normally, I read a couple of books a month, but for the past 4 or 5 months, I haven't read a single thing. Even my go-to favorite genres haven't been doing it for me. 

Being a writer myself, I draw a lot of inspiration and motivation from reading, so not being able to lose myself in books is almost as bad as not being able to write. I needed to find a way out of this rut. Here are 3 tips that helped me...

TIP #1: Don't stress about not reading. When you're trying to do something and you can't, you often obsess about it and stress about it and then that compounds the issue. At least, that's what happens with me. So, give yourself permission to not read. Occupy your mind and time doing something else you enjoy, and eventually, you'll get back to reading. 

TIP #2: Change how you read. If you normally read digital books or only read paperbacks, switch it up. Sometimes the feel of something different in your hands can make a huge difference. 

TIP #3: Change what you read. If you're normally a fan of YA or romance or fantasy, try reading something outside of your genre. This is probably the biggest thing that helped me. I love to read YA books of any genre, but even those hadn't been holding my attention. 

But then my husband bought these two books for my mom. She loves to read about the history of places, and still being fairly new to Michigan, she's eager to learn about her new home state. I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to read them when she was finished, and she told me to go ahead and read them first, if I wanted. So I did. 

Now, I almost never read non-fiction of any sort, but these books highlight unique places and stories throughout Michigan. They were short and set up so that each part / location was just a few pages. No long chapters. No complicated plot. No characters to keep track of. 

It was easy reading, and that's exactly what I needed. I read both of these books in a single day -- and now I'm waiting for the other 4 volumes to arrive so I can read those, too. Learning about places I've visited and finding new places to go has been so much fun. I'm excited to visit some of these places when my daughter visits next month. 

And then I found this gem at a yard sale for $0.50! Again, not a huge non-fiction reader, but this intrigued me because I'm a huge fan of anything spooky and scary. Written by a local author, I figured why not give it a shot -- and I'm so glad I did. This is essentially a collection of short stories about local Michigan areas and the ghost / haunted stories surrounding them. 

I don't think I'm quite ready to dive back into my trusted genres just yet, but I am going to keep reading non-fiction, and I think I might branch out into a few other genres I don't normally read. Like, I'm not a trend chaser. I rarely read books that are super-hyped, and if I ever do, it's usually years after the trend has died down. I never read Twilight until Breaking Dawn part 1 was in theaters. I've still never read the Harry Potter Series. Or Game of Thrones. Or Outlander. I've just never gotten into the hype around certain books. 

And that's exactly why I'm going to jump in feet first and read some of them. I'm going out of my comfort zone, and I'm going to reclaim my love of reading! Naturally, I'm going to blog about this little experiment, too, with a new feature I'm calling, "Is it Worth the Hype?" I'll read popular books and give my opinion on whether I think they warrant the hype they get. I'll also continue to read books that have little to no hype and see if they should be getting more love than they are. 

Stay tuned... and keep reading :) 

Writing when Life Throws you a Curveball

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." 

I'm not sure who originally said this, but I think it holds true in all things, especially in writing. The start of a New Year often brings forth a plethora of good intentions. I know I have a lot of them, mostly to finish half-started manuscripts. But what happens when life gets in the way? What happens when life throws you a major curve ball that you weren't expecting? It can be difficult, no matter how good your intentions are, to keep moving forward with your goals.

Honestly, I'm no stranger to this. Two years ago, I had a pretty major life event that blindsided me. I'm not about to get into all the dirty details, but I will say it involved my ex-husband and the custody of our two daughters. Everything I wanted to do came to a screeching halt. I couldn't focus on anything.

Leading up to the Christmas holiday, I was blogging and creating newsletters and promoting and writing new words. I was in the zone. Then the holiday came and I was busy with shopping and cleaning and decorating and baking. The day after Christmas, I drove to NY to pick up my daughter. She spent a week here in Michigan with us then I drove her home.

And now that everything is done and life is returning to normal, I'm struggling to get back in the groove. All of my good intentions and goals are now looming over my head, and I'm sitting here feeling guilty because I'm not working on one of my many manuscripts. So, what am I doing about it?

1. Reading -- Every time I read a book that I like, I get this surge of excitement to want to create something that will inspire others the same way I'd just been inspired. That often gives me the kick in the pants I need to get back to my own writing.

2. Blogging -- Sometimes taking the pressure off myself and blogging helps tremendously. There's no pressure and no "rules" when it comes to blogging. I can say whatever I want, and it really helps get the creative juices flowing.

3. Going Old School -- When all else fails, I get out a pen and a notebook. I don't always write a story, but just outlining or creating character sketches helps.

4. Giving Myself Permission to Take a Break -- We're all only human, and sometimes we need a break. And you know what? It's okay to take one. If you need a day or a week off, take it! Recharge your batteries. Do something else you enjoy.

5. Exercising -- I know, I know. This a dirty, dirty word. lol. I'm not suggesting you run out and join a gym or start an intensive workout routine. But get out of the house and take a walk. Go for a jog. Take your kids to the park (if applicable). There's nothing like endorphins to get your creativity flowing!

So, whether you're dealing with work-related stress, family drama, or something completely different.... like overwhelming pregnancy hormones, try employing the above methods. Is there anything I've missed? Any other tips and tricks that you use when you're trying to stay on track with your writing? Share your thoughts in the comments!