There is such a thing as Reader’s Block. Yeah, right. Everyone knows about writer’s block. But not many people know of readers’ problem and even less people care about it.
However, being a very polygamous reader myself
I suffer from this infliction very often. Thinking about it, working though this damned block at every stumble, I came up with a list of sorts: when block happens, why and what are the worst and the best of them (why can’t a bad thing be a good thing that is)
Reader’s block happens when:
- you have too many options and do not know what to choose
- you have too little options and do not want to choose anything
- you are too tired or stressed and can’t get involved in the story
- the story is too predictable and you have to put the book down
- the language of the writing is so not you… that you have to put the book down
- you get disappointed in your favourite author or character (my, is there life after such a betrayal)
Reader’s block happens when you HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU WANT TO READ… Simple?
Well, it is not
- when I am tired I like to read crime fiction
- when I am sad I like to read happy love stories
- happy love stories make me even sadder and I crave for some bloody-gory historical fiction
- if everything else fails, I reach for symbolism of Pearl and Brown or for psychology and esoteric revelations of Coelho and such.
So, in a few words
- the best Reader’s block happens when you can stop and pick up a new book in a different genre
- the worst Reader’s block is when you get disappointed in your favourite author (and you just bought all books in the series) – is there a life beyond this?)))
Any solutions? Any permanent solutions?.. I did not think so
Svetlana Tishchenko 