Reading Like a Writer

I started reading “Live Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words” by Ralph Fletcher (the book we all got in our last class), and I already learned something really cool by the time I finished chapter two. Chapter two is titled “Reading like a Writer” and it proposes an idea that I never really considered before now. I would like to share some of the main points the chapter makes in hopes that it will enlighten each of you as it did me.

·       Most people read a fantastic book/poem/short story and think “That is so good! I could never write like that, no matter how hard I tried!”

·       The typical reader reads either 1) for entertainment, or 2) for information

·       Most readers focus on what is going to happen next in the story

·       A writer, on the other hand, reads to discover how the author created a specific effect

·       A writer will read a terrific piece of text multiple times to uncover author choices such as word choice, word length, sentence type, sentence length, point of view, the use of adjectives/adverbs, etc. They will then attempt to determine how the combination of these factors creates a specific tone or emotion.

The author provided an excellent example that I want to share for lack of a better way to explain the process, and because I think this example would translate well when explaining how to read like a writer to students!

Reading like a writer is like watching a magic act. The magician throws a piece of cloth over an empty hat, waves his hands around, and whips the cloth off to reveal a fluffy, white rabbit perched inside the top hat. Our first reaction is “Wow! That was so cool!” Our second thought quickly pops up, “How did he do that?” Within seconds we usually say, “Wait! Do it again so I can figure out how to do it myself!” This mimics the reading like a writer process perfectly, and shows that re-reading a text is essential in the process!