The past two weeks have been…decent. Instead of forcing myself into writing (or berating myself for not writing), I used the time to read”not for research or teaching”I read for fun.

And I realized I needed it. I needed to get back to the other side of the fence, where I shut down my editing brain, and the “how do they put the story together” brain, and just enjoy the ride of someone else’s story.

This week, I went back to the books I’d read and asked myself, why did I enjoy this story? And I got some intel on how certain writers weave in story clues, how they showcase description and character…I don’t know if I’ll use those techniques. After all, that is their voice & I have to see if their techniques match with my voice, but still…

It was encouraging to see how different people tell stories and a gentle reminder that part of being an author is owning not just the stories we tell, but how we tell them, as well.