Reading Like a Writer

If you want to dramatically improve your writing ability the best way to take your writing to the next level is through the process of Reading Like a Writer.

I didn’t learn the concept of Reading Like a Writer until the second year of my MA program. My writing improved dramatically in one hour.

The basic concept of Reading Like a Writer is to read exemplars of the type of writing you want to do. In the MA class I was taking the professor pointed out that many writers and writing teachers don’t understand the concept of sentence variation and the importance of not only using a variety of sentence types and lengths, but tailoring your sentences using rhetorical decision making.

For example, a long, complex sentence followed by a short, punctuating sentence can have a greater rhetorical impact than two complex sentences back-to-back, in which the point of the first sentence is lost in the complexity of the second sentence. A short sentence can reinforce the point of the long sentence.

See what I mean?

The best part of Reading Like a Writer is that it’s simple and doesn’t require expensive books, curriculum, training, or materials. Simply find an example of what you want to write (an essay, a poem, an argument, a short story, etc.) and read it multiple times to analyze it, dissect it, and study it. In other words, figure out what make the writing tick.

What are it’s strengths? How does it capture and hold your attention? What specific  techniques does the writer use?

Tips for Reading Like a Writer:

1. Read often. Read widely.

Pay particular attention to the types of writing you are required to do in school or the types of writing you want to excel at. If you want to write excellent essays, read the best essays.

2. Practice close reading.

Close reading involves looking for techniques and patterns and analyzing. WHAT does the writer do? HOW and WHEN does the writer do it? WHY does the writer do it and what impact does it have on the reader?

3. Annotate and take notes, and discuss your findings.

Have everyone in your writing group (teachers can do this with peer groups) read the same piece and discuss the writing techniques in depth. This can be an excellent way to model and practice writing critiques in a peer workshop setting.

4. Practice the Techniques

This is the most important part. When you learn a new technique for introducing an essay, adding punchy dialogue, writing vivid description, using sentence variation, add more effective transitions, etc.; you must then practice them in your own writing. Not only does this allow you to practice and study the effectiveness of the technique, it also reinforces the concept and cements it in your long-term memory.

5. Get Feedback

After practicing, get feedback from your writing group or peer workshop group on how well you are mastering the technique and what you can do to improve.