Hitting the Wall... For the First Time

"In the best, the friendliest and simplest relations, flattery or praise is necessary, just as grease is necessary to keep wheels turning."

- Leo Tolstoy (I.1.vi)

Day Count: 5

Page Count: 70

The last couple of days don't feel like they've been quite as productive as the first couple. And, while the numbers seem to disagree with that statement, I feel like a general feeling of blase has hit with regard to the overwhelming excitement to read that consumed me on those first couple of days. Indeed, reading yesterday and day has seemed somewhat laborious in comparison with those first couple of can't-put-it-down days.

In my experience with reading through books, this is called "The Wall" - the point at which you hit your first barrier to completion. Climbing these walls (or digging under them or tunneling through them - pick your analogy of choice) is an essential part of marathon reading. Unfortunately, I tend to fall apart at The Wall.

Over the last several years, I have picked up a number of books and put them down after hitting The Wall. A few of those I've managed to pick up again, but if I hit The Wall too early, the temptation is pretty overwhelming to set the book down and go about my day sans literature. Some great books have been set aside for this reason: The Brothers Karamazov. Love in the Time of Cholera. Crime and Punishment. The Complete Short Stories of Nikolai Gogol. Lolita. (As you can see, I have an issue finishing Russian novels...) The list is endless...

However, I have managed to overcome The Wall before... even on some pretty hefty books. Usually, overcoming The Wall happens if I've gotten far enough along in a book that, even if I have ceased to be interested, I'm still committed to see it through 'til the end. Other times, I'm bored with the action, but am dedicated to certain characters or storylines enough to see them through. Examples of this include East of Eden, The Magnificent Ambersons, To Kill a Mockingbird, and This is Orson Welles.

At this point, I'm still very early on in the reading process. In a book with over 1200 pages, seventy down is hardly a dent... however, I feel I have something this time that I've not had in the past: accountability. Already, I've been encouraged by those who have read the book before me, letting me know that I need to commit early to taking time to read everyday - even if it's only a few pages. Also, this blog is a great source of accountability. Knowing that I am accountable to my readership (which has expanded to two - HOLLA!) is a big source of motivation for me to continue reading.

With your help, gentle readers, I shall overcome The Wall at every turn. Support your local literature buff, people!