Reading like a writer
How to get more out of your reading without losing your first love
As a reader turned writer, I try not to forget my first love. If I'm intrigued by a great lede in a magazine article, I just let it wash over me. If I'm watching a new movie, I'm not so caught up trying to identify the inciting incident that I forget to engage with the characters.
But on second read? Analysis is my goal full stop.
When I encounter new students, my first focus is on teaching them to read like a writer. And while I tell them never to abandon their own love of reading, even at that point there's a job: notice the moments that captivate them as a reader.
On second read, I like to go back to those moments and analyze what caught me. Was it structural, a new and interesting way into the story? Did the writer choose unusual examples or interview a particularly knowledgeable expert? Was there a scene that really captured the theme of the story? Identifying all of these elements adds to my own mental bank of story techniques for later.
When I am really thrilled by a story and particularly when I'm trying to write in a similar style for a new publication, I will be more systematic. I make notes beside each paragraph as to what content it includes and what technical elements it uses. I am particularly fascinated by transitions between sections, a real art.
A useful term I've picked up for this study is a "reverse outline," whereby you create the outline from the finished story rather than the other way around. This is also an excellent teaching tool for students: I encourage mine to dissect many stories early in their career.
A last element that I'm always looking out for is experimental use of language, whether it be a more formally written article that drops an unexpected metaphor, or a technical article that uses an interesting analogy to help the reader understand a complex topic. Just today, I read an article where the writer introduced a literary element called kennings as a reminder of her English professor father, and then proceeded to use them through the the article to poignant effect.
While I never want to be a writer who loses her inner reader, being inspired by the best of what's out there is something I aim to do every day.
PS - Taking a week off next week so look for my next post in 2 weeks! Happy summer!
PPS - Almost forgot mention we’re only weeks away from my new Feisty Freelancer course launch in mid-September - details at https://feistyfreelancer.com/courses/.