Here's a thread I've been meaning to do for a while:

One piece of well-intentioned advice I see given to writers is that you absolutely have to read A LOT or you can't be a writer.

AND YET! Nearly all the published writers I know bemoan their lack of reading time.

HMMMMMM.

I think the usual phrasing is an oversimplification that makes a lot of writers freak out and question themselves for no reason (and that frankly can come from a place of privilege, like in the case of a certain oft-quoted Famous Horror Writer).

Here's the thing:

Does reading make you a better writer? Absolutely!

Should you know the genre you're writing in? Absolutely!

Is time distressingly linear and do many of us have other obligations that leave us with very little reading time? WHY YES.

Should we feel bad about it? HELL NO!

I'll be honest. I used to read at least a book a week...when I was a teenager with tons of free time.

These days I'm lucky if I read a book a month. My life is just too full of Things I Must Do.

That's frustrating and makes me sad, but it doesn't mean I'm failing as a writer.

So! What do you do, if you're a writer with more hunger for your to-read pile than time to plow through it?

It really IS important to know not only your genre, but the current state of it! Having read tons of fantasy as a teen doesn't help me know the genre now.

Some tips:

* Immerse yourself in what's out there.

Read book blogs or watch booktubers. Browse bookstore shelves. Read the back cover blurbs, listen to the buzz, keep your finger on the pulse.

I haven't had a chance to read GIDEON THE NINTH yet, but I sure know the impact it's had.

* Don't be afraid to set books aside.

Soemtimes I start a book that's good but not gripping me. If I stick loyally with it, it can slow me down for weeks because even though it's good, it's not FORCING me to put aside my bajillion other commitments.

If I read the first 50-100 pages (or whatever) I will have learned from it as a writer and can switch to a book I'll read faster. I may come back and finish it later when I'm in a better mood for it! Or not, and that's also OK. Being willing to switch means I can read more books.

* Don't pigeonhole yourself.

If you're only reading new books in the same series you've been following for years, or if you're only reading white guys, or if you're not reading debuts, you're missing great stuff. Knowing your genre means reading in more than one lane.

* Read shorter books!

Not exclusively, of course, but when you feel the need to finish SOMETHING OMG...Well, there are a ton of EXTREMELY EXCELLENT novellas out there right now! You can whip through them in a few hours and feel good about yourself! (And learn & grow!)

* Follow your joy.

If everyone is talking about a book, that doesn't mean that you, personally, have to read it. There are plenty of fantastic books that don't click with a given reader for a wide variety of reasons. Read stuff YOU enjoy—you'll read more if it's not work!

So don't feel bad if life has been keeping you from reading as much as you want to, or as much as you feel like you should. Celebrate your TBR pile as a mountain of incredible potential and future awesomeness, even if right now your life keeps you from climbing it.

You're still a writer if you don't have tons of time to read.

Heck, you're still a writer if you don't have tons of time to WRITE.

We all wish we had more time. But to paraphrase, that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.