Reading Confessions & Novel Structure

I have a weird confession to make. I’m a quirky reader/writer. I don’t think I’m the only one – but it’s still a fuss to get through. You see, I can’t read while I write, and I certainly cannot write while I read. If I’m in the middle of my own project – that’s where my brain’s focus is. If I’m nose deep in paperback (Actually – Ebook. Just got a Barnes and Nobles Nook yesterday!) there’s not a chance I’ll be weaving a story of my own. It’s been like that for a long time. I have another confession to make. Just like my writing died for a year, so did my reading. I’m fairly certain the only novel I read in that year of non-writing was Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated. And that was a reread!

So, what, have I just given up on reading altogether? Not quite, but I think I’m starting a new, different relationship with it. Since I did just get a Nook yesterday, my reading is going to skyrocket. But where am I starting? By beta reading Mark Lopez‘s The Dead Don’t Cry. Weird place to start, right? I thought so too. But I’m not going to lie at all – his novel is a page turner. So much so, I have to slow myself down in order to get all of my notes, edits, thoughts on the page so he can actually make use of the beta read. But I’ve noticed something special in this reading: not only am I reading for enjoyment, but I’m really focused on what I’m reading.