Cage Match: Netflix vs. Lit Fix
Posted by Justine Tal Goldberg in 
I don’t read enough. It shames me to admit it, but it’s true. After a full workday which consists largely of reading manuscripts, the thought of more reading at 11 p.m. is as unappealing as … well … writing. But that’s a shameful blog post for another time.
It’s not that I never read. It’s that I don’t read as often as I’d like. How not often? Well, now you’re just being nosy. Let’s just say that, in the cage fight of my life, Netflix kicks reading’s ass 9 times out of 10.
The two natural results of my end-of-the-day laziness are: 1.) the books I want to read don’t get read, and 2.) I feel like a hypocritical fool.
“If you want to succeed at writing, you must read!” I scold WriteByNighters on a daily basis. Yet here I sit beside a pile of books that’s been here so long it has become furniture. This simply will not do.
I won’t bore you with a complete list of reading’s various merits for a writer, but I will mention a few of the most necessary.
Old Habits Die Hard
All writers have bad habits—an affinity for exclamation points, for example, the overuse of adverbs, or the dreaded passive voice. Bad habits would be broken by Justine if she read widely, regularly, and voraciously!!! A writer’s awareness of these tendencies is often not enough to avoid them. We need to couple this awareness with working examples of prose that sings.
Know What You Like
We all have different styles. If we didn’t, how boring the library shelves would be. Developing your unique style and voice is key to succeeding in your literary pursuits, and you can’t know what you like—and what you don’t—if you refuse to expose yourself to options.
Inspiration is Ready and Waiting
When clients are having trouble putting pen to paper, I often suggest that they read for half-an-hour before sitting down to write. It puts you in a literary space, and makes room for ideas. Reading makes you want to write. Simple as that.
If you’re still not convinced that reading is important to a writer’s development, let’s talk. If you’re on board, it’s time for the part of the post you weren’t expecting.
Instead of being satisfied to complain about my literary shortcomings, I’m actually going to do something about it. Finally. Finally. Here’s what I propose:
We come together, WriteByNighters, for a WBN-blog-based book club. For each round, a leader will be assigned. This leader will not only choose the book, but blog about his/her reactions, thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. We’ll read and post in manageable chunks—a chapter or section per week—and fellow book club members will respond via the comments section below. In this way, we’ll help each other to read more and think critically about what we’re reading. Heck, these activities may even inform our writing. Huzzah!
I’ll be happy—ecstatic, even—to lead the charge on the first round. I’ll even take book requests.
So what do you think? Are you with me? Is this the coolest idea since sliced bread, or am I just plain crazy? I suspect the former, but will accept the latter. Please let me know below.
WriteByNight owner Justine Tal Goldberg is an award-winning writer and editor of both fiction and nonfiction. Her short stories have appeared in Anomalous Press, Whiskey Island, Fringe Magazine, and other publications. Her journalistic work has appeared in Publishing Perspectives, Austin Monthly and the Texas Observer, among others. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College.
24 Comments to “Cage Match: Netflix vs. Lit Fix”
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Spectra says:
I am SO down for this! I was just having this exact conversation! Netflix (and Anime) are taking over my life. I used to read ALL the time and now I don’t as much. I miss it. And would love to be part of a blog reading group! All depends on my schedule / how often we’d have to share our thoughts etc, oh, and the kinds of books we’d be reading! :)
Simone Monique Barnes says:
I am embarrassed at how many television episodes I have seen of late. Let’s do this!
Leah Kaminsky says:
I’d definitely be up for this. Most of the book club meetups I joined when I first moved to Austin are now defunct, and it’d be great to have a little more motivation again.
I’m looking to read Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri or The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak, if you’re interested.
Amanda says:
First, I truly feel your pain. After a day of reading essays and grading papers that, the majority of the time, are written in the most rudimentary English, the LAST thing I want to do is read or write…unless it involves the latest “stories” on Facebook (my affliction). That said, I’m with you, because I’m returning to the U.S. in a couple of weeks and, before I attempt to write anything, need to “un-train” the weird English dialect I’ve developed over the past year as a way of communicating with people who only pseudo understand English. What better way to do that then read…something besides Facebook. I’ve all but stopped using prepositions and articles in my everyday speech Hell, Koreans don’t need them. Why do I? ’We go library.’ Point made…I still put the verb in the right place when forming a sentence, which gives me hope for a full recovery. I’ve also developed this strange habit of ending every sentence with “Yes?” It might take me years to stop making an “x” with my hands when I say “No” or “Not.” But, anyway, let’s read…The book that I have at the top of my list right now is Trophy, by Michael Griffith. 1.) I got it in the mail recently and haven’t even cracked the cover yet. See said Facebook problem. 2.) He’s a former professor of mine who I really admire. 3.) It was listed as one of the top 25 reads this year by Kirkus Book Reviews.
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
I am loving this enthusiasm! Thanks, all. Let’s give others a chance to chime in with interest, book suggestions, brilliant ideas, etc., then we’ll get round one rolling.
We’re totally gonna get our lit fix. I’m jazzed.
David Duhr says:
Speaking of being jazzed, I’d nominate ToMo’s JAZZ for a future book club selection. Because, damn.
Lisa Farwell Matthews says:
I’m in…awesome idea!
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
Okay, WBN book club members. Here we go.
As promised, I’m taking the lead on this first round. We’ll be reading “Pym” by Mat Johnson. (Those of you who suggested books, I encourage you to use those when you’re up at bat.) Round 1 will run January 1-31. I’ll be in touch via email with details and instructions. For now, all you need to do is 1.) get the book, and 2.) shoot your email addresses to Justine@writebynight.net.
Thanks again for your interest, folks. I can’t wait to get started.
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
Hi again, everyone. I haven’t heard from all of you with your email addresses, so we’ll use the WBN blog as our forum for now.
January’s book choice is Mat Johnson’s “Pym.” The book is divided into four volumes, so we’ll read one volume per week as follows:
Jan. 1-7: Volume I
Jan. 8-14: Volume II
Jan. 15-21: Volume III
Jan. 22-28: Volume IV
I’ll be publishing four discussion posts to coincide with each volume. Please be sure to subscribe to WBN’s blog via email (in the sidebar to the right) or RSS (in the “Follow Us” section below) so that you’re alerted to posts when they publish.
Here’s to a year of reading and writing!
Amanda says:
Hi,
I’m a little behind the program, but I’m still game with this…So I’ll get a hold of a copy of Pym and try to catch up ASAP!
Laura Roberts says:
Hey Justine, I really like this idea! (And I’m sorry I hadn’t heard about it sooner, since I’m not subscribed to the blog, for some silly reason.) I will volunteer to lead one of the sections, in the future, although I haven’t picked up a copy of Pym yet, so maybe for next month? I recently read “We the Animals,” which was excellent and short, which is great for people who don’t have lots of time to read, as you lament. Maybe we could talk about that?
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
We can absolutely talk about that. I read “We the Animals” and loved it. Such a beautiful little book.
Now subscribe to our blog, please!
Pym, Volume #2 « « WriteByNight │ write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas WriteByNight │ write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas says:
[...] not least, if you’re not yet a book club member and would like to be, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Simply use the comments section below to express interest, and either dive into Pym now or join us [...]
Pym, Volume #3 « « WriteByNight │ write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas WriteByNight │ write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas says:
[...] not least, if you’re not yet a book club member and would like to be, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Simply use the comments section below to express interest, and join us for next month’s pick: [...]
Jose Skinner says:
OK, I’m gonna try to do this, as I’ve been wanting to read this Eugenides book.
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
Glad to have you, Jose! Our Eugenides reading/discussion schedule is posted at http://www.writebynight.net/wbn-book-club/pym-volume-4/.
Isabel Caloprato says:
If you know more about the validity or lack thereof of the Kafka claim, by all means chime in in the comments.
Jose Skinner says:
OK, great–I’ve read first two chapters of the Eugenides, so I am READY.
Justine Tal Goldberg says:
Super! Our first discussion post will publish early Tuesday morning. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, Jose.
The Bastard of Istanbul, Vol 2 « « Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC says:
[...] you’re not yet a book club member and would like to be, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Simply use the comments section below to express interest and join us on our next [...]
The Drunk Diet, Vol. 1 « « Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC says:
[...] too late to join in on the conversation. Grab a copy of this month’s book to catch up, or leave a comment here expressing your interest in joining us for future discussion. [...]
Book Club Reminder « « Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC Write better, right now │ writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ WriteByNight, LLC says:
[...] week we’ll be discussing Dagoberto Gilb’s short story “Uncle Rock” for the WriteByNight Online Book Club. One little short story, 2,700 words. Do it! And join the discussion next Tuesday, here on our [...]
Book Club Reminder - Writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ Write better, right now says:
[...] week we’ll be discussing Dagoberto Gilb’s short story “Uncle Rock” for the WriteByNight Online Book Club. One little short story, 2,700 words. Do it! And join the discussion next Tuesday, here on our [...]
Pym, Volume #2 - Writing center and writers service in Austin, Texas │ Write better, right now says:
[...] not least, if you’re not yet a book club member and would like to be, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon. Simply use the comments section below to express interest, and either dive into Pym now or join us [...]