Eat more of what you are

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." -Stephen King

      Today's idea piggybacks on the same kind of idea I shared last time, just from the other side of the beach. I have to admit, digesting the quote is one thing, but to have the great Steven King's words staring at me while I write this really makes me feel like I should be in a  book right now. It's seriously a fight for me not to run away from this computer and get into one of the lonely and waiting books on my shelf. Only the equally strong forces of wine and Sims 3 keep me right where I am.
      When I first heard this quote, I was listening to Wil Wheaton's podcast and driving another early morning, into another 10 hour day, of another 50 hour work week. As much truth as I found and find in it, as much I wanted to act on the idea that reading more will make me a better writer, I couldn't. All I could do is eat it and let the inspirational particles float around my stomach until I felt so bloated with the day's other crap, it naturally passed out of my system. I know I need to read more if I want to be a better writer, but fuck me is it hard.
      Look at everything you love to do or want to do and consider how much time you already spend in that world as a consumer. A perfect example for me is podcasting; Teresa and I listen the shit out of some podcasts. As consumers, we can both critique and enjoy as we consume, which is as close to multitasking that anyone can get these days. Even the most terrible podcasts have the potential to inspire us to actually want to meet up and continue to create our own art. Wil would say "to create a thing where there was no thing before."
      Reading is the sharpening stone to the graphite of your mental pencil. Take the idea in context of the world we live in. Even those who hate to read are likely reading Facebook updates or other news stories all day long. So what do you really hate about reading if you're voluntarily doing it all day anyway? Putting in the time, attention, and focus that the longer reading adventures demand of you? We may not always have as much time as we want to do everything the way that everyone else says things should be done... but we can always find the time to use the ideas of others to inspire us on how to be more effective users of our own time.