# Reader's block



## Jeko (Jun 9, 2013)

Just wondering about this.

Has anyone ever been through a time when they can't _read_? I mean, for a few days recently I couldn't pick up a book and get into it. I don't know what caused the problem.


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## chewie49 (Jun 9, 2013)

it has happened to me. I love to read, but for MONTHS I didn't want to take a book and read it.

I think it was because a lot of stress and because I had to read a lot of articles for my job.


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## Skodt (Jun 9, 2013)

Just pick up a book. If you start you may break yourself out of the rut.


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## JosephB (Jun 9, 2013)

Did you make sure the lights were on?


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## SteelPalm (Jun 9, 2013)

I experience this very rarely with movies and very commonly with games, although it's really just being burnt out.  Not with books, though.  I would try reading something weird and different.


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## Jeko (Jun 9, 2013)

What I meant is that I did pick up books and read them, but it was like they were giving me nothing. They weren't bad either (some Anthony Horowitz was included in there), and it applied to anything I tried get into.

And the lights were not on. I only read books with glow-in-the-dark text. It's the only way to stave off my irrational fear of ceilings and my mild case of vampirism (no fangs or free anti-ageing cream, but all the negative side effects).

It might be that I was burnt out at the time. I think the spell may have broke when I started reading some Lovecraft or something... maybe it was down to the general spectrum of what I was reading at the time.


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## JosephB (Jun 9, 2013)

Yes -- if I can't get into reading, it's usually because I'm tired  and/or distracted. Betting that's the way it is with most folks. But you're young -- and it's the time to ponder life's great mysteries.


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## Meli (Jun 9, 2013)

I get this. To counter it, I challenged myself to read 50 books last year and I did. I read 53. I probably left about ten books unfinished. This year I challenged myself to read 40 (I'm trying to get back into school), then I finished twenty before April and decided I'd up it to 60. Now I've read 28, have abandoned about five, and I can't seem to finish anything. It's been a few weeks. I'm anywhere from 15-60% done with eight books, but I can't finish any of them even though they're all good. Short story collections are a decent remedy. Take one story at a time. I also think it helps to find a book-only zone. My usual readers block is due to lack of focus. My current readers block is possibly because of a recent move; I haven't figured it out yet.

Are there any similarities between your periods of readers block? How long do they last?


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## FleshEater (Jun 9, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Yes -- if I can't get into reading, it's usually because I'm tired  and/or distracted. Betting that's the way it is with most folks. But you're young -- and it's the time to ponder life's great mysteries.




Women...yeah, if he solves that mystery I want to know the answer. Err...that's what you're referring to, right?

Anyways, Cadence, I was wanting to recommend John Dies at the End to you but forgot to PM you. That should help anyone lean back and relax and take one crazy trip to, wherever. So, count this as my personal recommendation.


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## JosephB (Jun 9, 2013)

FleshEater said:


> Women...yeah, if he solves that mystery I want to know the answer. Err...that's what you're referring to, right?



I was talking about reading, actually.

Regarding women -- there’s only one I really needed to figure out, and after 11 years, that’s pretty much a done deal -- although she throws me a curve now and then to keep me guessing.


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## Jeko (Jun 9, 2013)

> Anyways, Cadence, I was wanting to recommend John Dies at the End to you but forgot to PM you. That should help anyone lean back and relax and take one crazy trip to, wherever. So, count this as my personal recommendation.



Already read it. Incredible book.



> Are there any similarities between your periods of readers block? How long do they last?



I've only had one. I'll had moment when I can't read certain kinds of stories, but only one short (about 3 days) period of complete inability to read any story.


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## Meli (Jun 9, 2013)

Is it only fiction? Three days is a decent break from reading. How much do you read during a normal day?


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## philistine (Jun 9, 2013)

I have self-imposed 'reader's block', as it were, where I'll take several days to a week off without reading a single page. That always comes after a fortnight, or even a month of reading a novel _per day_. After such periods of abatement, I go back into that routine. It works well, and I'm sticking with it.

I've never picked up a book and been unable to read though (aside from that one day where I overdosed on allergy medication- my eyes were falling off the page every three words).


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## Meli (Jun 9, 2013)

You are blessed with a warrior's focus.


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## popsprocket (Jun 9, 2013)

Yeah, kind of. I read in erratic sprints where I might read anywhere between one and ~ten books, then maybe not read anything for upward of a year.


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## J Anfinson (Jun 9, 2013)

When it happens to me I've learned that it's just a case of needing to do something different to break up the monotony. Maybe I'll need to watch movies, play video games, or spend more time outdoors. I grow restless if I spend too much time on any one thing. Sometimes a few days away isn't enough either, but whether it's a week or a month you'll get the urge again.


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## Jeko (Jun 10, 2013)

It might have been due to my reading habits. I read one book per three days when I'm at my peak, and often more than one book at once. Maybe I lost whatever drive or purpose made me want to read what I was reading at that speed.


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## Meli (Jun 10, 2013)

popsprocket said:


> Yeah, kind of. I read in erratic sprints where I might read anywhere between one and ~ten books, then maybe not read anything for upward of a year.


War isn't a 9-to-5. Except in that Yasutaka Tsutsui story, _Commuter Army_.


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## AtlanshiaSpirit (Jun 10, 2013)

I experienced this, but I saw an article in the local paper i wanted to read, and before you know it I had read the whole thing. 

 Maybe your overly stressed. Have you a favourite book you could try to.


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## candid petunia (Jun 10, 2013)

I haven't been able to read a book in 10 months. Haven't been able to write anything either. Even when I pick my favourite books, I just leaf through them and then put them back, disinterested. :-|


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jun 10, 2013)

I've had reader's block every since I started writing.  Now that I have an eye for the written work, everything I pick up just seems dragged out, contrived, and forgettable.  I have the same problem with movies, too.


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## Skodt (Jun 10, 2013)

^ I hear that all the time. Not saying this is you, but you fit the category; people who can't read because they nit pick take things to seriously. None of us are great enough writers to nit pick every written work. Not even half of the written works. Everyone who reads can attest to some bad writing once in awhile, but if you can't pick up a book because you are too good at spotting errors, then you are overdoing it; in my own opinion.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jun 10, 2013)

I'm not sure it's even errors that are my problem.  Sure, there are grammatical complications here and there that bug me, but I think the deeper problem is that I can't see the forest for the trees.  Knowing the structure of a story and the common character archetypes makes it so that nothing that happens is surprising or exciting.  I can't connect to the characters or the story, and reading just isn't worth it without that emotional connection.


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## Meli (Jun 10, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:
			
		

> I'm not sure it's even errors that are my problem. Sure, there are grammatical complications here and there that bug me, but I think the deeper problem is that I can't see the forest for the trees. Knowing the structure of a story and the common character archetypes makes it so that nothing that happens is surprising or exciting. I can't connect to the characters or the story, and reading just isn't worth it without that emotional connection.



Try reading different kinds of books. You can't know every narrative structure, trope, or archetype in every genre or literary period. I know preferences exist for a reason, but if preferences aren't working...

Try reading stories that have been rewritten by multiple authors. For example, start with the _Snow White_ by Brothers Grimm. Then read some Angela Carter. Read Donald Barthalme's _Snow White_. Anne Sexton. Read all of the Snow Whites. Watch the Disney movie. Watch the other movies and tv shows. Think about why these are all different and how they are cohesive. (Maybe, if you think it won't shut you off to reading/writing/thinking about reading and writing, read about narratology or something else equally dense/academic but relevant.) Then, taking all of that on board, read your preferred books and reconsider what the authors are doing.

But I find it a lot easier to switch to a different genre or style for awhile.


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## DanielSJ (Jun 10, 2013)

I'm getting this too. Glad I'm not alone here. I'm trying to fight through it and change what I'm reading, like Meli mentioned.


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## Skodt (Jun 10, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> I'm not sure it's even errors that are my problem.  Sure, there are grammatical complications here and there that bug me, but I think the deeper problem is that I can't see the forest for the trees.  Knowing the structure of a story and the common character archetypes makes it so that nothing that happens is surprising or exciting.  I can't connect to the characters or the story, and reading just isn't worth it without that emotional connection.



I don't get this aspect of it either really. I mean if you find all books to be predictable then your either amazing at predicting or reading really predictable books. Try a book like Game of Thrones; if you predict even an iota of that then your a mind reader, and you can't be tricked. There are many stories out there with crazy twist and turns, and in no way can people predict them.


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## JosephB (Jun 10, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> I've had reader's block every since I started  writing.  Now that I have an eye for the written work, everything I pick  up just seems dragged out, contrived, and forgettable.  I have the same  problem with movies, too.



I can relate. Through my own fabulous writing, I’ve gained such incredible insight and amazing powers of critical analysis, that the entire body of published fiction has been rendered banal and predictable. I’m just going to have to give up reading altogether.


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## Blade (Jun 10, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> I've had reader's block every since I started writing.  Now that I have an eye for the written work, everything I pick up just seems dragged out, contrived, and forgettable.


I think I hear you on this one. I have found that once you do a lot of your own writing when you read something you not only read the story but the style of the writer as well. This frankly makes me feel cramped and perhaps a touch threatened as I am trying to evolve my own personal style.

I find the same effect when I go back and try a work that I once quite enjoyed years ago. I came across a copy of Joseph Heller s "Catch - 22" in a used book store recently at a good price but made only through about 25 pages before I packed it in. It looks to me that most "other" material becomes obstructive rather than enlightening. :-k


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## EvermenEXE (Jun 12, 2013)

As a joke I often type to my friends ''No, I haven't read that, I'm illiterate." But the truth is I honestly take very little joy in reading. Although I'm a writer by hobby and passion I just have the hardest time finding anything I enjoy reading. Although as of late I find that the varied works in 'Dune' piqued my interest, but only the sequels oddly enough.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jun 13, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I can relate. Through my own fabulous writing, I’ve gained such incredible insight and amazing powers of critical analysis, that the entire body of published fiction has been rendered banal and predictable. I’m just going to have to give up reading altogether.



When did I say I was a good writer? I can analyze chess moves that grandmasters have made and I can say if they're good or bad, but that certainly doesn't mean I have anywhere close to their level of playing ability.

Your post is simply a variant of, "You don't get to criticize that unless you've done something better!" - an argument that has never held water.


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## JosephB (Jun 13, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> When did I say I was a good writer? I can analyze chess moves that grandmasters have made and I can say if they're good or bad, but that certainly doesn't mean I have anywhere close to their level of playing ability.
> 
> Your post is simply a variant of, "You don't get to criticize that unless you've done something better!" - an argument that has never held water.



No -- let's look at what you said:



Gamer_2k4 said:


> I've had reader's block every since I started  writing.  Now that I have an eye for the written work, everything I pick  up just seems dragged out, contrived, and forgettable.  I have the same  problem with movies, too.



That's more like this:

"Now that I know how to play chess -- I don’t want to play anymore because I have everything figured out -- doesn’t matter who I play or how good he is or what kind of moves he might pull on me -- it’s all predictable."

Sorry, but that’s a pretty silly way of looking at things -- whether it’s about chess or literature. It would suggest to me you’re either playing weak opponents or reading “contrived and forgettable” books. So maybe you need to raise the bar and be more discerning about what you read -- because I'm betting there's something out there that can challenge just about any reader -- even you.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jun 13, 2013)

JosephB said:


> "Now that I know how to play chess -- I don’t want to play anymore because I have everything figured out -- doesn’t matter who I play or how good he is or what kind of moves he might pull on me -- it’s all predictable."



It's closer to "I don't want to WATCH chess" than "I don't want to PLAY chess."  I didn't say I had lost my interest in writing, after all.  But there's a significant difference between seeing techniques in practice ("Oh, we're at the 'revelation and transformation' part of the Hero's Journey" or "Oh, they're using the Evans Gambit") and actually getting to use and manipulate those techniques yourself.



JosephB said:


> Sorry, but that’s a pretty silly way of looking at things -- whether it’s about chess or literature. It would suggest to me you’re either playing weak opponents or reading “contrived and forgettable” books. So maybe you need to raise the bar and be more discerning about what you read -- because I'm betting there's something out there that can challenge just about any reader -- even you.



I'm sure there is.  It's just that that "something that can challenge me" often seems at odds with what are commonly accepted as good or great books.


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## Skodt (Jun 13, 2013)

Your putting every book every written into an arch that doesn't always exist. Read Game of thrones there is no hero at all; no moment of revelation. Read The lies of Locke Lamora it is a different ride than your usually arch. Read the warded man where you can't tell if he is a hero, or just nuts. There is thousands of books with no arch to follow. You can't say that you know the arch because many books don't follow a pattern at all.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jun 13, 2013)

Skodt said:


> You can't say that you know the arch because many books don't follow a pattern at all.



It's called an example.  Not every chess game starts with the Evans Gambit, either.


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## JosephB (Jun 13, 2013)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> I'm sure there is.  It's just that that "something that can challenge me" often seems at odds with what are commonly accepted as good or great books.



For recommendations, I often rely on a small group of discerning readers who know my tastes. Even so, I put a lot of books down, sometimes after a few pages if the writing isn’t up to my standards. But I keep trying -- because I know there are a lot of really good books out there -- or at least books that I will think are really good -- or great -- and that’s all that matters.  I'm not too concerned with what is “commonly accepted as good.” Maybe you shouldn't be either.


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