Have You Turned Off Your Writing Brain?

Source: http://namelessbrowngirl.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/wish-i-could-turn-my-brain-off-sometime/

I love reading. My TBR pile is huge. Getting lost in an amazing story with fabulous characters is always a win. 

While I can do this most of the time, I sometimes find that if I'm deep in writing a WIP then my writing head start to creep in as I read. "Reader brain" is enjoying the story, but then "Writer brain" switches on. This is when I start to think things like:

"Hmm, I'm not sure I'd use that word there."

"What's this character thinking?"

"I'd like a bit more/less detail."

Then I might start to think about the structure of the story. Or about the themes. The voice. Plot threads and how they might weave together. 

And my weird brain goes on. 

I'll admit having these thoughts sometimes makes me feel a bit guilty. I know how flipping hard the author has worked to get the story out in the first place. Still, I sometimes wonder if this is part of my writing brain trying to stay in the zone? They do say that you learn to be a better writer by reading more. 

Or maybe, just maybe, I need to quiet my brain a bit more and just enjoy the story :) 

How about you? Do you sometimes find your writing brain switching on while reading?