Writing Craft: On Reading Like a Writer
When seeking a writing career, there is no end to information about how to write. I, myself, own probably 30 or so writing books, and have a degree in English with a specialization in composition. But writing is a practice, much like yoga, that has no determinate end goal. The reason that there is no set end goal is there is absolutely no way to write for everyone. Even some of the most beloved writers of our time have people who dislike them. For example, the Harry Potter franchise has sold millions of copies, and has spawned 13 movies and a play. Despite my obvious distaste for J.K. Rowling’s political standpoints, I cannot ignore the impact that her writing has had. However, I think her writing is wildly unskilled and filled with cliche and stereotypes. This work might have been super popular and beloved for almost two decades but, as a writer, I do not enjoy her writing and think it is objectively bad. This all to say that, no matter what the Big 5 publishing houses might lead you to believe, being a wildfire success doesn’t mean that the work is good, it only means that it is profitable.
I will play my own devil’s advocate on this, and say that despite the poor writing, you must pay attention to what that series does. Think it over: why did it connect to so many people? That is one of the very first skills you can develop when reading like a writer. Author Michelle Latiolais, a former professor, said that it was important to read the stuff that you find challenging because even the stuff that makes you wince can tell you something. Reading stuff you do not like, stuff that challenges your worldview, and/or things that are outside of your genre is important to developing as a writer. My least favorite type of writing in existence is Romantic Era poets. Maybe it was the professor I had, or maybe it’s the self-indulgence of the dated male-perspective pastoral that just makes me reflexively want to throw Wordsworth and Coleridge into the bin. But, from reading that, I gained something that defined my writing: the sublime. Learning from their hestitancy to approach the sublime, I realized it was a topic that I was trying to capture with all of my favorite books, movies, and writing. Nothing is without its virtue when reading as a writer.
There is definitely a lot of value in reading within your genre. It will help you stay on top of trends, and understand what others are doing, as well as give you ideas upon ideas. Some suggest only reading in your genre, others suggest only reading outside of it. I say: read everything you can. Having attention problems, I am severely at a disadvantage when reading something that does not interest me. That was one of the greatest benefits of going to college, that I was forced to read stuff I didn’t really like all the time. I never would have Waiting for Godot or The Canterbury Tales in its original middle English, if not for school. I understand that not everyone has the ability to access higher education, so I would suggest looking up reading lists for English degree programs. Here and here are English literature reading lists from Oxford. Or, I would simply suggest a Norton anthology: this one looks like a really great overview. If you find yourself struggling with a topic/writing style/time period, write a list about what you hate about it. If you read faster on a topic/writing style/time period, write a list highlighting what really stood out for you. This will help to develop an understanding of your interests, which you can then use to develop your own focuses in writing.
Perhaps it is my love of small-press publishing and its accessibility, but might I suggest one final piece of advice: read literary magazines. To be a writer, you don’t only have to understand how to write, you must understand how to read. For many smaller publications, the editors and readers are writers themselves. They only publish things that have been vetted through a small team of writers and editors, so reading the work in these is precisely reading like a writer, with the additional benefit of knowing where your work might fit in when you think to submit. Through reading literary magazines, you know what your contemporaries are doing, find someone you envy, or find a style you didn’t even knew you wanted to try. There are so many small publications out there, that I cannot possibly give a list here. However, Duotrope has huge lists of thousands of publications that you can access without a subscription. I was able to get my first couple of publications through using Duotrope. I got more by looking of publications that sounded interesting and following them on social media, which guarantees a feed of great new works to read, and a regular stream of open calls. You can read these with intention, or without. All reading helps you become a better writer, because you’re working even when you think you aren’t. To read like a writer, it doesn’t matter what you read or how you read, just that you do it, and do it as much as possible. Writing books are great, but they really are just a single perspective about the practice of writing, and not the key to unlock the door to being a writer. Read like your livelihood depends on it, because you’re hoping it will.
