Reading, writing & the art of tsundoku

You may have noticed that under the blog title I have a short strap-line: “Write. Read. Run. Lead” – while not being exactly comprehensive it captures much of what I want to focus on in my professional and personal development. I’d rather read than be good at computer games, I’d rather run than sit on my butt, I want to develop as a writer and a leader.

Exactly.

First of all I need to remember that in all those areas there are things I can learn. I want to be a lifelong learner.

reading

There are ways in which I can learn to read more and read faster. I can learn how to maintain a mixed diet of reading. I can even learn how to save my kindle notes into evernote. I can learn to think about what makes a great book. I am a fairly experienced reader but I have slumps and dry seasons, books can be too daunting or too difficult. I can learn how to be a better reader.

I’m a voracious acquirer of more books than I read and expert in the art of Tsundoku , so I was grateful to read of Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary: Why Unread Books Are More Valuable to Our Lives than Read Ones.

Writing

I am far less accomplished as a writer than I am as a reader, consequently I have so much more to learn. When a writer like Stephen King offers up everything I need to know about writing successfully in ten minutes then that’s worth at least 20 minutes of my time. I’ll read it at least twice.

Yet the only way to get better as a writer is to, you know, actually write something. It’s the only way to find your voice is to get something written. The only way to know if it’s having an effect is to somehow publish what you are writing. That’s one reason why I am making a renewed effort with this blog. Taking others up on the opportunities they afford, would also be smart.

In the end you have to do the thing you have set your sights on which for me is: Write. Read. Run. Lead.

Photo by wetwebwork

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