By Debb Hackett @debb_hackett

One of the first things I learned when I decided stop fighting and be a writer, was that I needed to be an avid reader. I was told this at my first ever creative writing class and have heard the same message from agents, editors and at every conference I’ve attended (a few). There are several reasons for this:

• Knowing the current market
• Knowing your genre
• Seeing what good writing looks like
• Seeing what bad writing looks like
• Improving your vocabulary or knowledge
• Inspiration

The best writers are avid readers because they love words and (in fiction) stories, and (nonfiction) clearly communicated concepts. But what happens when you lose your reading mojo? When a book that should excite you instead propels you to social media or knitting, or yardwork?

Time to shake it up, people.

The idea of reading burnout scares me more than a blank page. Seriously. I’ve been an avid reader since I could read. In the past few years, I’ve read more e-books and listened to audiobooks, but there are always at least two stories on the go in whichever format. The thought of being without a book is unfathomable. But not too long ago, I found myself dragging through stories I’d readily agreed to read. Books I’d looked forward to.

What on earth? Then I realized, I had the dreaded book burnout. I knew right away that situation couldn’t be allowed to continue, so talked to other avid readers looked around my library and formulated a plan. Here are my top tips for escaping or preventing a similar fate.

• Be picky about what you read – if in doubt, put it down and make a different choice.
• Switch up genres – if I read too much of one type, even my favorite, I get jaded, so I swap.
• Swap from fiction to nonfiction or vice-versa. Besides two fiction reads, I always have a craft book, Bible study and some kind of research or self-improvement text on the go.
• Set yourself a challenge – Goodreads is great for this, especially if you have a competitive nature.
• Revisit an old, precious favorite with characters you love, or a message you are blessed by. For instance, Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series or Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur are all books that I cherish.

Reading feeds our souls and our creativity. I’m currently reading A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter, listening to Counterfeit Hope by Crystal Caudill and working through Why Trust the Bible by Amy Orr-Ewing.

How about you?

Writer, broadcaster and speaker Debb Hackett has been a radio journalist for more than twenty years. Married to a Royal Air Force test pilot, Debb has written a Bible study for military wives.

A regular contributor to the Advanced Writers and Speakers Devotional Arise Daily, she’s also been privileged to writer chapters for Write Well Sell Well. For now, based near London, England she’s having lots of fun working on a contemporary romance series and was an ACFW Genesis award semi-finalist in 2020.

When she’s not writing, Debb can be found leading worship, playing bass or skiing. If you can swing by her house while she’s making scones, that would also be a win.