If you are finding yourself in a reading slump, think about ways you can still engage in the arts and reconnect with reading. I busted out of a recent period of the book blahs by re-engaging with the other creative mediums. Sometimes it’s hard to shake a pattern that reading is just about finishing a book. It’s easy to lose the passion for literature as a work of art, a labor of craft as vivid and whole as a painting hanging up in a museum. To reawaken the creative side of literature and break through a reading slump, try these suggestions that have worked for me.
1.
Watch a movie adaptation of a book you’ve already read and loved. Pride and Prejudice fan? You have tons of films to pick from that immerse you in a story that’s important to you, on the screen or on the page. This video compares the first three Harry Potter films and their book source material.
A few movie adaptations I am particularly enamored with are The Hours, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Atonement. If you’re not sure where to start, find some of the best adaptations in the winners of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
2.
Try illustrating one of your favorite pieces of literature. If you love Alice in Wonderland, create a painting or a sketch or other piece of artwork that is connected to the story, or recreate an illustration from the book. What if Alice’s dress wasn’t blue? What if the white rabbit was a different color?
This article on “The Best Illustrations from 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland” from Brain Pickings is a testament to how literature can provide endless, unique visions.
3.
While we’re on the topic of illustration, find a graphic novel or comic that helps you connect with the words of your favorite books in a new light. Think about new ways that artists reinterpret a classic of literature. For inspiration, check out Christophe Chabouté’s Eisner-Nominated graphic novel adaption of Moby-Dick.[/caption]
Excerpt from “Moby Dick” graphic novel by Christophe Chabouté.
4.
Create or join a cookbook club. Sometimes it’s hard to see cookbooks as books because your instinct might be to just get to the recipes. but any exceptional cookbook author knows a memorable, enriching cookbook is more than just two covers holding lists of ingredients and instructions. Cookbooks tell stories in vivid colors, helpful information, and personal narratives. Start with a cookbook that won a James Beard Award, the prestigious prize for each year’s best cookbooks, and cook with friends or check out your library to see if they have a cookbook club.
5.
Make a playlist full of music from soundtracks to your favorite movie or TV adaptations. I really enjoy the soundtracks to the Game of Thrones series, and listening to the theme music always gets me in the mood to read the books or other fantasy series. Some of the greatest works of music are classical interpretations of stories. You’ve got no better recommendation here than Prokoviev’s Peter and the Wolf. You can read the full text of Peter and the Wolf here adapted from a story the composer commissioned, and listen to David Bowie’s awesome performance narrating the piece in this YouTube playlist.
6.
If you’re a crafter, work on a project that’s tied to the literature. Book Riot’s famous crocheting pattern for Katniss Everdeen’s shawl and science fiction and fantasy-themed knitting patterns should kick it off. Bonus points for listening to the audiobook at the same time.
7.
Create a Pinterest board for your favorite book setting. Go on a treasure hunt of sorts, pinning photography of those locations, recipes that fit with the culture and theme, and artwork by artists from the area. This is something I and other fiction writers often do for envisioning a book we’re writing. But be careful–too much time spent lost in the Scottish Highlands of Outlander will have you drifting over to buy your plane ticket ASAP. Here’s a look at my board for Jenny Colgan’s delightful, Cornwalls-set Little Beach Street Bakery series.
8.
Explore other art-minded challenges this year beyond Goodreads. See the world through a new lens with the 30 Day Photography Challenge and film-related ones, such as the challenge to watch all the Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time from the British Film Institute, a highly respected list of critic favorites. Find drawing challenges on The Sketchbook Project and doodle away the day.
Listen to some of the most influential and powerful songs in the book 1,000 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die.
9.
Rearrange your bookshelves in a creative way. I admit, I was a skeptic of the reading rainbow approach, where you organize your books in the spectrum of colors based on their spines, but I’ve really come around.
Sorting by color makes you see your collection in a new light. even making an image out of your books, like the mind-blowing detail in the bookshelves below.
Other ways you could creatively organize your home library in a visual way include include sorting by the tallest book to the shortest book or do mini-rainbows, alternating a book for each color in the rainbow rather than one giant rainbow.
10.
Try a little cosplay, aka “costume play,” to get in touch with the fashions of your favorite characters. Fashion is one of the most inspiring ways to connect with literature, and dressing up like the heroes and heroines you adore will definitely put you closer to the words on the page. You can go for a literal reproduction of a character’s famous outfit, or you can create a new ensemble that speaks to your vision.
(Photo credit: https://blog.universalorlando.com/extras/cohp17-cosplay)
You could also multitask here and listen to audiobooks or bookish podcasts while you craft or create. Sometimes we just need to see and experience literature in a new way, boosted by the other creative arts, to defeat a reading slump and have a more enriched reading experience in your 360° bookish life.
