As an author, I love to read. Always have. My mother started me young on enjoying suspense with the Nancy Drew books. I also remember reading The Bobbsey Twins before that. And I read a few of the Hardy Boys books as well. I always found a quiet, secluded spot outside to read. When I was younger, I made "tents" out of sheets or blankets. I could escape into books and become oblivious to everything in the real world.
Today I enjoy reading many genres, even nonfiction. I need a generous mixture to keep from being bored. I used to have a huge library filled with books, and my hubby told me I would have to stop purchasing books or there would be no room for him! During the tighter budget years, I'd borrow books from the library. After Jesus took my hubby home, I moved into a small 900 foot condo. There was no room for my huge library, so I donated all my books to charity.
As my eyes have become less tolerant of spending hours and hours in books, I have moved to audio books. I can listen while I do housework, while I color, or work on jigsaw puzzles. I still prefer to have my nonfiction books in paperback or hardback form. I want to be able to highlight what speaks to me and to refer to them later. I do have a Kindle and that's where my fiction (and some nonfiction) books are. I've accumulated a lot over the years. I do enjoy sitting on the porch in the summer and reading on my Kindle. I know a lot of people are using electronic devices to read.
So as an author, I have chosen to publish my books in both electronic and paperback form. When I'm finished writing a book, I do a read through on paper and mark the things I need to change. I do several read throughs and with each type of edit, I use a different colored pen. No sense wasting paper. This way all my edits are on one set of printed pages.
After all the changes are made in the computer, I print it in a form that can be uploaded and read on my Kindle. Then I do a read through without wearing my editor hat. If there is something that pulls me out of the story, I note it, and later make more changes. Then it is ready for beta readers.
I am hoping someone who is having difficulties with too many piles of paper can find some value in the way I edit, but each of us are individuals. We all do things differently, whether with writing or reading, or all things in our lives.
Lately, I have grown so discouraged by what television has to offer, I'm seriously thinking of replacing the evening viewing hours with evening reading hours. I'd much rather be the one to choose what my eyes "see."
Thanking God this day for all the authors who put their time into writing books to entertain us, and for the various means of publishing. Thanks for stopping by!
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