Reading Time vs Writing Time

I’m an avid reader who averages about 100 books read per year. That’s roughly two books a week, which means I spend just about every minute of my free time reading. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I love to read.

With the little free time I have available to me, I have to make a conscious choice whether to spend it reading or writing. (I certainly don’t go out partying, especially since the pandemic.) While I’d love to make more progress with my writing, I choose to prioritize reading over writing for three reasons:

1. I love reading more. Yes, it’s true. Even though I enjoy writing, I enjoy reading even more, and if I had to give up one activity for the rest of my life (which I hope I won’t ever have to do), I’d give up writing before reading.
2. I’m not under any writing deadlines. One advantage of being an independent author is that I don’t have publishers giving me deadlines to meet. However, this could also lead to procrastination. Fortunately, I have enough self-motivation to keep making progress on my manuscripts, just not as quickly as I’d ideally like.
3. Reading is good for writing. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen for writers is to read, and I agree. How can you be a good producer of anything without having consumed it first? How can you tell good writing from bad if you don’t read both? In other words, I’m reading for the sake of my writing. :-)

Nowadays, my writing time takes place primarily on the weekends. With the demands of my day job, it’s very difficult for me to find time to write or edit during the work week, and the few spare minutes I have during the work week are spent reading rather than writing. I’m OK with this balance since I’m continuing to make progress on my books, and my next book is still on track to be released this fall. If things slip significantly with my writing goals, I'll reevaluate, but so far, I'm able to both read and write in proportions that suit me.