The First Month: Reading Like a Writer

As I mentioned in the post about the first step to writing a novel, reading is a major part of writing. But just like reading an assigned book for school as a student is different from reading for fun, reading like a writer is also different from reading for fun. 

How? 

Well, for one thing, you're trying to learn from the author, not from the book. This means that you're mainly focused on paying attention to a writer's style or way of saying things, not what is actually happening in the book.  If you're the type of person who really enjoys reading and thinks that ignoring the plot is a shame and waste of a good book, then either do one of two things. 1) read a book twice, once for fun and the other time to learn or 2) if you're an extreme multitasker like me then do both at the same time. 

So what's the point?

Well, this is one way to hone your skills. Like I mentioned before, you have to watch a person do a layup before you can do one yourself... BUT there's a big difference between watching a person do a layup in a pro-game for fun and watching a coach do a layup because you're tying out for the basketball team. Chances are, you're going to pay more attention if you're learning how to do a layup. Just writing without reading is a lot like teaching yourself how to do a layup, you might do okay, but it's not going to be perfect unless you watch someone do it. 

Okay then... How do you read like a writer?

There's a number of ways. Here are some of the things I notice or do when I'm reading like a writer instead of a regular person.

1) Highlight a lot. 

I highlight or copy down the first paragraph of every book I read and pay careful attention to it. I also highlight things that make me laugh out loud, good or poetic writing, cool similes, interesting phrases, and words I don't know. No clue why this improves your writing, it just does.

2) Pay extra attention to dialog and dialog punctuation. 

Notice how fast the author goes. Do they use a action beat every time someone speaks? When do you use a comma and when do you use a period? Do you really have to say he said or she said? What happens when a character says a speech or something with more than one paragraph? How do you format that?

3) Notice things. 

This is the hardest thing for me as a writer. In good books, an author will plan ahead. They will discretely mention a character leaving her knife in her bag, then her enemy will attack and she won't be able to defend herself because her knife is in her bag. Mediocre authors will add this fact when the enemy attacks. It keeps the parts with action fast paced.

Good author:

I wiped the orange pulp from the knife and placed it into my bag; we were safe, I wouldn't need it tonight. 

blah blah blah blah blah blah. (two paragraphs later).

I swung around and automatically reached for the knife on my hip. My stomach sunk as I realized it wasn't there. The bad guy (sorry for lack of a name) gave a wicked smile before planting a round house kick in the soft spot between my ribs. I fell to the ground, blind with white-hot pain.

"Not so tough now, are you?" He grinned, standing over me. His chuckling face was the last thing I saw before blacking out. What I didn't know was I would never open my eyes again.

Bad author:

I swung around and automatically reached for the knife on my hip. My stomach sunk as I realized it wasn't there. This was because I didn't think I needed it because thought we were safe. I put it away after cutting up oranges for the fruit salad even though I'm a really bad cook because Peter asked me to. The bad guy (sorry for lack of a name) gave a wicked smile before planting a round house kick in the soft spot between my ribs. I fell to the ground, blind with white-hot pain.

"Not so tough now, are you?" He grinned, standing over me. His chuckling face was the last thing I saw before blacking out. What I didn't know was I would never open my eyes again.

Do you see how the second one has an awkward pause in the action. It doesn't really matter that moment and interrupts from what's really important. It is possibly the most irritating thing as an author and a writer. I want to know what happens at that moment, not why she was chopping up oranges. If you get used to noticing it in writing, you'll get used to doing it in YOUR writing.

4) Pay attention to characters, what authors describe and what they imply.

This is a lot like the the other one, if you look for this more often you'll get used to doing it.

A good  author will work in a character's personality through one of seven ways:

1) Their actions

2) What they say

3) What other people say about them

4) What they think

5) What other people thing about them

6) How other people treat them

and the worst: 

7) What an author tells about them.

This goes into showing vs telling (which we'll talk about later).

A good author will do this: 

"I-I just don't know, Peter. Maybe I wanted to become friends with you because of your mom, but I didn't fall in love with you because of her," Amy cried.

Peter thought for a second. His expression didn't change. "I don't know what to believe anymore. Congrats on being published, I hope your book was worth it," he said coldly. 

Tammie stepped between them, pushing the two apart. "I think that it doesn't matter and you should believe her, Peter. You love each other and she's your girlfriend. It doesn't matter why she loves you."

"This is none of your business," Amy and Peter shouted in unison.

(let's assume that previously the author mentioned that Tammie wasn't Amy's friend and was annoying.)

A bad author will do this:

Peter and Amy didn't like Tammie because she was always in other people's business. She butted in on their break up and said they should stay together.

See, the first one is much better.The more you pay attention to good writing like that, the more likely you will be a good writer. 

Okay, so I think that's it.

Reading like a writer in a nutshell means being more attentive.

-C