Well, its been over a year now that I’ve been doing this writing thing (seriously), and I’m starting to notice some of my cycles/patterns. Like the writing/editing/reading pattern. After I meet a writing deadline, I switch hats and go into editing mode, which involves looking at the manuscript in a completely different way. When writing, the focus is on expansion, and when editing, the mentality is slice, cut, shave… I’ve discovered that after I finish a major edit/revision, I need a break from writing altogether. I find myself spending my “work” time reading, which I suppose is still technically work if you think about it as studying your contemporaries and researching your competition. 
I’ve resumed reading NEVA HAFTA, which I had to abandon halfway through about a month ago to read about HypnoBirthing. Anyways, it’s funny how one can’t fully ‘shift gears’ overnight. Here I am soaking in the bathtub, trying to enjoy my book, when I hit a paragraph that makes me want to reach for my red pen, lol. My mind is still in editing mode, and I just want to axe every stray “that” and rearrange complete sentences… And it’s not even my book! LOL! Will I ever be able to read like a normal person again???
(Not to say that Edwardo’s book is riddled with bad grammar, which it’s not. His writing is very strong. I’m just stuck in editing mode.)
Anyways, critical twitching aside, its nice to be a consumer again. I believe reading makes people better writers, and I try to devote as much time to reading as I do other parts of my career. When my mind if sufficiently decompressed from the stress of overwork to meet a deadline, I will pick up the pencil again and get to it. Full circle…
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