When you work from home as a freelance writer, a professional blogger, or an online entrepreneur, it is pretty easy to translate everything in your life into something that is work-related. Nearly every time that Raul (Hummingbird604) goes out for dinner, he creates fodder for a new blog post. Just about any time that Rebecca (Miss604) attends a community event, she has the opportunity for some live blogging.
Casual Reading Enters the World of Work
By the same accord, freelance writers can get their inspiration from a variety of different sources. If you write about the stock market, for instance, reading the Financial Post or Wall Street Journal could be seen as research. If you have a client who requests articles on video games, you may be inclined to browse through Nintendo Power or Kotaku. What was once reading for pleasure has become work-related research.
In this way, I’m starting to wonder if it is even possible for freelance writers to read for pleasure at all, even if the subject matter is not directly related to their area of expertise.
Inspirations and Transitions
My blog post about saving time was partly inspired from my reading of The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. I am not a Taoist and I don’t really do any philosophical writing, but the concept of time (and how we spend it) is related to the areas of freelance writing and personal development. With some careful thought and consideration, you can parlay seemingly unrelated reading into material that perfectly fits into your chosen niche.
Making money online? Inspiration and ideas can come from articles relating to everything from culinary excellence to stamp collecting. Some people have even gone on to compare John Chow to Britney Spears. How’s that for (seemingly) unrelated?
Infringing on Your Personal Life?
Taking this approach to the things that you read on a regular basis — newspapers, magazines, blogs, novels, etc. — has the distinct possibility of infringing on you life-work balance. What was once pleasurable, like reading a sci-fi novel by Michael Crichton, has suddenly been connected to work. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is arguable, because some say that there is no need to separate work and play. If you can do what you love and get paid for it, all the more power to you.
For the freelancers (and bloggers) out there who are reading this, let me ask you: do you ever read for pleasure anymore, or can you not help but to find tangential relations between everything that you read and the work that you do in your day job?
I’m pretty sure I have a copy of The Tao of Pooh. I don’t have a copy of The Te of Piglet though, do you?
And, I bet you don’t have a copy of Winnie ille Pu, do you?
Anyway, to answer your question, I think the real issue is stress. If you’re living comfortably and enjoying what you do, then it doesn’t matter whether you’re reading strictly for work or for pleasure. Even something you’re reading strictly for work can be somewhat pleasurable if you’re able to enjoy some quiet time reading somewhere. You may be mentally engaged, but you can be physically relaxed. And, if you enjoy your work, the reading matter isn’t that bad either!
Now, through stress into the mix, and it makes a difference. If you need the money, or you need to get a job done, or someone is pressuring you to get something done (including yourself), etc., then there is going to be a difference. Something that was once pleasurable now feels like work because you have to do it for whatever reason.
I’m currently reading the Te of Piglet, actually. I have not ventured into Winnie ille Pu. 🙂
It’s interesting the way that you bring up the issue of stress. I am mentally engaged in a lot of things that I read — I read a lot of tech blogs on a daily basis — but it’s not exactly “quiet time” in front of the computer, busting through those RSS feeds. d
Reading the Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet has been enjoyable. It’s just getting harder to justify setting aside the time to read them.
I don’t read for pleasure much any more, but I think it’s more a matter of time than anything. Instead of reading a random work of fiction or chatting on MSN or Yahoo, I read through my RSS Feeds and leave some comments, write a post or two and then it’s time to go do other stuff and get off the computer or I do these things before been when I used to read a book instead.
I think it’s still easy to read for pleasure though, just read what you want and don’t try to relate it to anything else. Later on, when you’re not reading it, if you remember something that can be applied then great! It could be considered research or “tax write off” or “billable hours” later even if that wasn’t the intent.
It would be like when you went horseback riding or to the zoo. You went because it would be enjoyable and she wanted to, but after the fact decided it would make good post fodder and can now write it off on your taxes. This is not the same as going to Dot Com Pho knowing you’re going to post about it and planning it to be a write-off.
“Some people have even gone on to compare John Chow to Britney Spears”…
Care to expand on the above claim? Or give us te inside scoop or a link to the story?
Thanks!
I can’t seem to find it, but there was a linkbait post somewhere a while back.
Oh, the unspeakable things you make me do.
Whenever I talk to a writer, I always try to ask that very question, Mike, as to how important they feel reading is to their writing. It doesn’t matter whether they write fiction or not, reading is vitally important and necessary. When I asked Elizabeth Hay about reading, she said it is inextricably linked to her writing. Whenever she’s stuck, or she’s just starting out in the morning, she’ll sometimes read some poetry because it helps her brain get going, and the reading sort of gets language flowing. Any writer, whether they write for pleasure or for work, has to have some appreciation for writing, otherwise they’d realise they ought to be spending their time doing something else. Good writing invariably motivates you. Maybe it’s the jealousy part of it that motivates you, but good writing provides a window into something that enlightens you, and as a writer you want to be as expressive and as perceptive and so you inevitably keep trying. Writing is just as much re-writing as anything, and so you don’t know what’s good unless you’ve read quite a bit, and of course, read widely; read different genres. I think I don’t write as much as I should, because I don’t read as much as I should. I suppose there is a distinction there because I need to read for an interview I’m preparing for, and it’s often not pleasant. But I notice when I read a novel for work, if you will, I see something I don’t when I read for pleasure; and my pleasure would be something non-fiction. When I read a biography or something historical or political, in my down time, it’s inevitably for information. But when I read a novel, I find I notice things about language that I don’t any other time. It goes back to having enough time to do what we’d like, what’s good for us, and what needs to be done. For me, they’re three different things, but to a good writer there’s a confluence for all three.
I definitely find it hard to read for pleasure only. Maybe because every book I buy is business related, etc.
I don’t read a lot of books. But I read a lot on Internet. I think is similar if well used.
Of course freelance can read for pleasure. Some of freelancers like me turn hobbies into money so i earn while i enjoy the things i like.