How to Read as a Writer

I recently saw author Anthony Horowitz talk about how he re-read an Agatha Christie book line by line seven times just to convince himself that Christie had played completely fair with the reader. He had to admit she did. I admire his thoroughness.

My dad never understood why I always kept all my books. “You’ve already read them,” he’d say. I would reply that I might want to read them again. That baffled him. “But… you already know how they end.” He never understood that the journey was far more important than the destination.

Understanding the journey is essential for every writer, and while there are some excellent resources for to help you develop your talent, one of the best is learning from your favourite authors. Understand, I’m not saying you should curl up in your favourite armchair and just re-read. You knew it couldn’t be that simple, right? No, I’m talking about learning from the masters of the craft. Here are my suggestions for making it work best for you:

Start with a short story. Ideally, pick one you’ve already read and enjoyed. If you haven’t read a short story before, here are a few you might consider for this exercise:

The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin.Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway.The Dead by James Joyce.Cathedral by Raymond CarverDon’t Look Now by Daphne du Maurier

If you haven’t read your chosen story before, then read it once just for enjoyment. If you don’t care for it, then find another story that you do like. Mind you, you can learn just as much from fiction you dislike as much as those you love.

Once you have read it once, sit down with a pencil and write in the margins any thoughts that occur to you. Underline phrases that stand out, focus on how the story is constructed, and think about how you can employ some of those techniques to your own work. Don’t worry about themes or any of the things you’d highlight in a literature class. Your intention is on how the writer created the world and the characters of the story, as well as the mood that fills the tale.

Try not to cheat. You can read an analysis of the story if you’re truly baffled, but you’d be better off reaching your own conclusions. Your opinion is the only one that matters. Besides, study aids are aimed at literature students, not writers.

Focus all your attention on the creative elements. Ask yourself how the writer portrays the characters. What adjectives they use. Does the author ever use passive sentences? Examine how the story starts and ends, and the events that happen in between. Pay close attention to the language. Is it sparce, to the point, elegant, or even florid? Are the sentences short, or do they go on for a whole paragraph. Compare Hemingway to Henry James, for instance, and see which you prefer and why.

Once you have examined one story, you can try a variety of different ones and see what you can learn from them. Short stories come in all shapes and sizes, written by people of all ages, races, and life experiences. They cover everything from contemporary relationships to science fiction and crime.

You can practice your writing by copying out a sentence or paragraph you like and see how you might have phrased it. You can change the adjectives, nouns, or tone of the passage, and you’ll be amazed at how much you learn from the exercise.

Once you have examined a short story or two, move on to a novel, preferably start with one you have already read and loved. Employ the same techniques.

I strongly recommend that you select a contemporary novel. Unless you plan to write like Tolstoy, avoid War and Peace.

Finally, you should focus on the sort of books that match the kind of things you write. In other words, read science fiction if that is what you write, or romance if that’s more your speed.

Studying the masters is time-consuming and requires thought and concentration. However, it’s an excellent way to learn and to develop your talent.

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