Reading Like a Writer, By Cheryl Owen Wilson

There is an intricate connection between being an insatiable reader and the desire to be a writer. I severed that connection for a time. Following is my cautionary tale.

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Once the writing bug wrapped its tentacles firmly around my mind, heart and soul I knew it would change some aspects of my day-to-day life, such as the minor examples listed below:

I eavesdrop on the intimate conversations of strangers. Then using anything at my disposal, I write down catch phrases, interesting quirks, etc. By the way you can actually write on toilet paper—carefully and with the right pen, but it can be done.
I wake in the middle of the night with a phrase whispering in my ear and it won’t shut up until written down.
My dreams are no longer just random threads of my life and psyche. They are now messages from beyond sent specifically to give me a story to write.
The food I eat is not longer just a good meal. No, now it must be described down the last morsel eaten—“Consuming the juices of the glistening, red, apple was akin to savoring honey dipped in Mayan gold.”

These are simply a few ways writing altered my life.  I had no idea just how it would change the one thing I’ve always turned to when in need of escaping my day-to-day reality—my reading life—that mental immersion of temporarily entering another world entirely.

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I’ve learned all writers come to understand the twin mirrors of being an avid reader, and the ravenous desire to write. However, as mentioned, in the beginning of this blog, I had no idea the two were so intertwined.

I discovered the dark side of this connection when I joined my first book club:

It seems not everyone goes through a book to discover what minute spark caused the author to write the book in the first place. Or in the case of historical fiction, not every book club member prints page after page of the actual history for show and tell at the book club meeting. I did. However, these two revelations and others didn’t alter my previous pleasure in reading. What did, was finding that I began to see the flaws in timelines, plot development, etc. This changed my reading escapism and I was not happy about this development.
On the flip side of noting the flaws in some of the books chosen I began to recognize the glaring genius created through the written word in other books. These authors made me question my own ability to create a well-written story.

Thus, I severed the connection and stopped reading entirely.

As you can well image it didn’t last very long, as this is when the realization struck—how closely they were related—reading and writing. So I began my journey to marry the two, so I might once again have the magic of being lost for days in another author’s sea of words.

This is when I discovered, a local writing organization Wordcrafters in Eugene’s life-altering monthly gathering–Reading Like a Writer—Part book club, part craft talk and part communing with your literature loving tribe.

Each month, a professional writer discusses a book that’s meaningful to them both as a reader and a writer. They share their favorite character moments and passages and all the things they love or find challenging. Then they tease apart elements of craft that inspire them, whether it’s the witty dialogue, how place serves to push characters to the brink, or the masterful interweave of plot and theme. There is then discussion for everyone to share at the end. You can read the book, so you can share what you loved, or didn’t love. Or you can just come to enjoy the talk and discover great new books and writers!

If there is not such a group in your area, I highly recommend you start one or find one online. My revelation in learning to read like a writer is this:

I find I can first enjoy the book as a reader, knowing I will possibly go back and re-read portions of the book as a writer. This allows me the escapism I so relish, while also giving me the invaluable lessons other writers have to offer.

I would enjoy hearing about your own experiences with reading and writing. Have you too had issues? When in the middle of a WIP do you read others works as well, or do you abstain until you’ve completed your project?

Tagged: blogging, ideas, Reading