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the Onyx Court effect
Nov. 21st, 2024 10:28 amAround 2019, I realized that my reading had become somewhat sporadic -- or rather, that it had been somewhat sporadic for quite some time. And when I considered why, I was able to trace it back to a specific root cause:
The Onyx Court.
When I started writing a historical fantasy series, I dove headfirst into research. And as a result, when it came time to set work aside and do something else, "read more" was not high on my list, even if what I would be reading was fun novels instead of history books. Then I finished the Onyx Court series and continued onward into the Memoirs of Lady Trent, which weren't so research-intensive, but did involve periodic dips into that mode as I oriented myself in a new region for each book. And I just . . . kind of drifted away from regular reading. Until I noticed the lack and made a conscious decision to go back.
Well, here we are in 2024, I'm writing a historical fantasy series again -- and I've read almost no novels since March.
I binged a few in July when I was on vacation, so I'm sure the impulse isn't dead. (It's only pining for the fjords. (Don't throw things at me. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" has been stuck in my head since March.)) Every so often I slip in something along the way, especially light, quick reads -- W.E. Johns' Worrals books have been good for that. But my TBR shelf, which I was making very steady progress through, has completely stalled out.
The good news is, although I think this particular dive may be even deeper than before -- driven by the fact that I started with much less of a grounding in the first place -- unlike the Onyx Court series, when we're done drafting the first book, I don't have to start all over again in a new century for the second. So I anticipate getting back to more normal reading habits early next year.
But man, I miss wanting to read in my spare time.
The Onyx Court.
When I started writing a historical fantasy series, I dove headfirst into research. And as a result, when it came time to set work aside and do something else, "read more" was not high on my list, even if what I would be reading was fun novels instead of history books. Then I finished the Onyx Court series and continued onward into the Memoirs of Lady Trent, which weren't so research-intensive, but did involve periodic dips into that mode as I oriented myself in a new region for each book. And I just . . . kind of drifted away from regular reading. Until I noticed the lack and made a conscious decision to go back.
Well, here we are in 2024, I'm writing a historical fantasy series again -- and I've read almost no novels since March.
I binged a few in July when I was on vacation, so I'm sure the impulse isn't dead. (It's only pining for the fjords. (Don't throw things at me. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" has been stuck in my head since March.)) Every so often I slip in something along the way, especially light, quick reads -- W.E. Johns' Worrals books have been good for that. But my TBR shelf, which I was making very steady progress through, has completely stalled out.
The good news is, although I think this particular dive may be even deeper than before -- driven by the fact that I started with much less of a grounding in the first place -- unlike the Onyx Court series, when we're done drafting the first book, I don't have to start all over again in a new century for the second. So I anticipate getting back to more normal reading habits early next year.
But man, I miss wanting to read in my spare time.
