Back at the start of this year, I signed up to the Goodreads Challenge. I plucked a figure of 50 books out of the air and decided to see how far I could get. For years, I found it really difficult to read while I was writing. I’d get so into the story that the author’s style would creep into my own work. Then, during editing, I’d find these big chunks of text that just didn’t sound like me. I’d have to chop them out and start over, and so I decided not to read while I was writing. It was pragmat...