Gates Open- read like a writer - gail's writing rules

Hello Writers

It has been an interesting two weeks on the writer’s path. Two weeks of the good and the frustrating. The good: a summer kick-off visit from one of my sons, gorgeous hot summer weather, boating and swimming in the lake. Summer in the Haliburton Highlands is joy. The frustrating: my Facebook page was hacked again, and I narrowly escaped a scammer, which left me with that horrible, “How can I have been so stupid” feeling. And no, I don't want to write this story, at least not yet. Perhaps you are saying that is not the writer’s path, but I know that it is all part of my writer’s life. We live life and write life: live, write, edit, share. My love of writing cannot be separated from who I am and the senior life I lead. And yes, I am still editing my family story book, and I am not sure if that is good or frustrating. Perhaps both.

So, time for the next of my writing rules:

Read Like a Writer

This is almost automatic; the more I write, the more I read like a writer. What does this mean to you? How do you do this?

I am reading Anthony Horowitz’s - Marble Hall Murders

I admire his writing and love this third book in the series. The first two are Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders. These books are a fun and satisfying read for the writer who loves wonderful mysteries and great writing. They are best described as a mystery novel within another mystery novel: a book within books, that is a writer’s delight. The first book, Magpie Murders, was adapted into a mini-series, and at the end of each segment, Anthony Horowitz discusses the writing process. Perfect for reading like a writer.

I recently started reading Stephen King's On Writing. It’s a trip into the writer’s mind. I've never read any of his more than 60 books, but this one is not his usual genre, and I am enjoying his personal stories and perspectives on writing. I will let you know if it helps me read like a writer.

I feel like I just can’t help but read like a writer. It happens naturally. Thoughts about the writing are constantly flowing while I read the books I love.

“Oh, I love this passage (sentence, description, dialogue). It’s so awesome.” What has the author done, and what strategies has he, she they used?  Can I use or do this in my writing?

There are several books you can purchase and information on the internet about reading like a writer, but the books are not for me. M Bunn · 2011 stated that — “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…“ Please note that he says, “some” of the choices. Of course, you can’t “examine” every page. For me, they pop out at me and scream, “Remember this, think about this in my writing”. Perhaps that it why it seems to happen naturally. I read a lot. I read several genres, but the genre of the book I want to write is most often the target for reading like a writer

I hope you will consider what reading like a writer means to you, and if you do, soon you may find you too are naturally reading like a writer.