It’s weird not to be writing.

I’m doing a ton of writing-related activities — plotting, brainstorming, outlining, querying, synopsis-ing — but no writing. Very strange.

I’m also doing a lot of reading. Books that might give me insight into how to juggle 3 characters as “one” protagonist. Books that deal with being twenty-something. Books that have nothing to do with anything, I just wanted to read them. Books that show me what works, what doesn’t, and what might.

(Movies can be good for this too.)

I consider all of that to be research. Or read-search, if you will. (Oh man, I am so lame. I blame my father.)

Some writers shy away from this sort of thing, but I find it really stimulates my brain and rouses my passion. I like reading good books and not only enjoying their story, but also analyzing their mechanics. I like reading bad books and thinking, “Whoa, I can do better than this.” (In some cases, a LOT better.) I like reading fantastic, mind-blowing, emotion-whirling books and wondering if I can ever write that well.

And deciding that I have to try.

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