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Sep 23, 2021 · Take one of the likes or dislikes from your earlier reading and really sit with it. It could be a character, a story element, the setting, or even the author’s writing style. It doesn’t matter what your like or dislike is about—what matters is what you can learn from it. Now that you’ve chosen something to analyze, it’s time to ...
- Introduction
Introduction - Learn Writing by Reading: Likes & Dislikes -...
- Character & Worldbuilding
Once you’ve picked your focus, grab a highlighter (or the...
- Structure & Plot
This time, I’ll use the middle grade fantasy novel Howl’s...
- Services
Here are the ways I can help you with revising and editing...
- Blog
Find self-editing tips, writing hacks, and behind-the-scenes...
- Mindset
Mindset - Learn Writing by Reading: Likes & Dislikes - Edits...
- Contact
Need edits for your sci-fi or fantasy novel? Get in touch by...
- For Writers
For Writers - Learn Writing by Reading: Likes & Dislikes -...
- Introduction
- What Does It Mean to Read Like A Writer?
- How Is Rlw Different from “Normal” Reading?
- Why Learn to Read Like A Writer?
- What Are Some Questions to Ask Before You Start Reading?
- In What Genre Is This written?
- Is This A Published Or A student-produced Piece of Writing?
- Is This The Kind of Writing You Will Be Assigned to Write Yourself?
- What Are Questions to Ask as You Are Reading?
- What Should You Be Writing as You Are Reading?
- What Does Rlw Look Like in Action?
When you Read Like a Writer (RLW) you work to identify some of the choices the author made so that you can better understand how such choices might arise in your own writing. The idea is to carefully examine the things you read, looking at the writerly techniques in the text in order to decide if you might want to adopt similar (or the same) techni...
Most of the time we read for information. We read a recipe to learn how to bake lasagna. We read the sports page to see if our school won the game, Facebook to see who has commented on our status update, a history book to learn about the Vietnam War, and the syllabus to see when the next writing assignment is due. Reading Like a Writer asks for som...
For most college students RLW is a new way to read, and it can be difficult to learn at first. Making things even more difficult is that your college writing instructor may expect you to read this way for class but never actually teach you how to do it. He or she may not even tell you that you’re supposed to read this way. This is because most writ...
As I sat down to work on this essay, I contacted a few of my former students to ask what advice they would give to college students regarding how to read effectively in the writing classroom and also to get their thoughts on RLW. Throughout the rest of the essay I’d like to share some of their insights and suggestions; after all, who is better qual...
Another important thing to consider before reading is the genre of the text. Genre means a few different things in college English classes, but it’s most often used to indicate the typeof writing: a poem, a newspaper article, an essay, a short story, a novel, a legal brief, an instruction manual, etc. Because the conventions for each genre can be v...
As you read both kinds of texts you can locate the choices the author made and imagine the different decisions that he/she might have made. While it might seem a little weird at first to imagine how published texts could be written differently—after all, they were good enough to be published—remember that all writing can be improved. Scholar Nancy ...
Knowing ahead of time what kind of writing assignments you will be asked to complete can really help you to read like a writer. It’s probably impossible (and definitely too time consuming) to identify all of the choices the author made and alltechniques an author used, so it’s important to prioritize while reading. Knowing what you’ll be writing yo...
It is helpful to continue to ask yourself questions as you read like a writer. As you’re first learning to read in this new way, you may want to have a set of questions written or typed out in front of you that you can refer to while reading. Eventually—after plenty of practice—you will start to ask certain questions and locate certain things in th...
The most common suggestion made by former students—mentioned by every single one of them—was to mark up the text, make comments in the margins, and write yourself notes and summaries both during and after reading. Often the notes students took while reading became ideas or material for the students to use in their own papers. It’s important to read...
Let’s go back to the opening paragraph of this essay and spend some time reading like writers as a way to get more comfortable with the process: Let’s begin with those questions I encouraged you to try to answer beforeyou start reading. (I realize we’re cheating a little bit in this case since you’ve already read most of this essay, but this is jus...
- Liza Long, Amy Minervini, Joel Gladd
- 2020
10. Cut the repetitive sentences. One practical way to become a better writer is by consciously analyzing your writing to identify repetitive patterns. This is hard to do during the drafting process, especially if you write your first draft quickly, but it’s mercifully simple in retrospect.
Dec 1, 2021 · Become a Better Writer by Reading: 5 Ways Reading Improves Writing. Aspiring authors who develop strong reading habits will learn a lot from the books they consume. Try “reading to write” as a way to discover creative writing strategies, word choice strategies, and syntax control that can supplement your own writing skills.
- Don’t aim to write a bestseller. That’s the last thing I think about when I start a new book. I have no control over the market, sales, reviews, and all the rest.
- Always think reader-first. Write Think Reader First on a sticky note and place it on your screen or somewhere you can see it while you’re writing. Your sole job is to tell a story so compelling, so memorable your reader gets lost in it from the get-go.
- Establish a strict writing routine. Writing a book takes time, and lots of it. If you write only when you feel inspired, you’ll never finish. You need the discipline of a regular habit.
- Eliminate distractions. Create a dedicated space for writing. It doesn’t have to be perfect — a writer should be able to write anywhere. Buy the best chair you can afford.
Jan 5, 2024 · You can’t say, “I’ll become a better writer,” and presto, you’re a better writer. You must build your good writing habits from the ground up and stick to them. The below writing habits turn good writers into great writers. Schedule procrastination. Set goals.
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How do you read like a writer?
1. Master the basics. If you want to become a better writer, it’s important that you have the basics down. Study and practice proper grammar, and make sure you understand how to use literary devices and figures of speech. Learn to command tone, rhythm, and diction before trying to improve other elements of your writing.
