One of the most often over looked, but critical tasks all authors should engage in is reading. Sometimes authors—as well as instructors—focus on craft issues and the work produced by the individual writer at the expense of neglecting reading other authors’ books. Instructors stress plot and character construction, offer exercises and tips, and focus on the execution of craft skills by the student. We encourage authors to write everyday and revise and rewrite, but often forget to stress a basic tool for learning that is observing and studying others executing the skill sets we are teaching and writers are attempting to master. While reading alone will not make you a great writer, not reading will slow your progress towards greatness. For writers, reading other authors’ works is critical for further growth of their craft. And reading critically will teach you more than you may have imagined.
Reading Critically vs. Reading For Fun
Both, I would argue, should be engaged in by aspiring authors. Reading for fun is when you read the book you’ve selected as a reader, a lay person, for the sheer joy of reading. An example of this for me would be vampire novels. I love them. I read them like crazy without much thought. Some of them are incredibly well written; others are not. But mostly I am reading them for the stories, not the finely crafted prose, strong plot, or rich character development.
Reading critically is when you read the book you have selected as a student of writing. You are not only reading the story for the joy of reading the story, but examining the techniques used to write the story. You are actively engaged in the process of reading to learn about craft skills. An example of this for me would be reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This is a vampire novel, but I read it as a study of well composed prose and not as a quick subway read.
Critical reading takes longer than reading for fun. You aren’t just reading the book for the story. You are examining the plot elements, style, and character development. If you took a literature class in college, the process you learned is the same. You are examining the work and attempting to uncode what the author did, why they made the choices they made, and how they crafted their text. You are reading the work as a writer, not just a literary critic. You are consciously thinking about the choices the author made, potential alternatives and why (or why not) things worked. You may reread sections, take notes, do a practice exercise based on a section of the text, or rework a section that you felt didn’t flow well and try to fix it. You will at the very least be interacting with the text on a deeper level than the average reader. When you are finished reading the book, your opinion of its value (or lack there of) will be based on a critique of concrete writing elements, not just a knee-jerk it was “a good/bad story” but a thoughtful opinion of a finely/poorly crafted story because of X. X being character development, use of phrases, turn of words, plot structure, etc…
What You Should Read
“Bad” authors. Lots of poorly crafted books get published. I have a list of authors whose books seem to me to be first drafts at best. Reading poorly crafted books critically can be a great exercise. Don’t over do it, read only one or two a year. Focus on what didn’t work or could have been done better.
Academically Praised authors. These are mostly Cannon authors, but there are always a few new authors who are receiving academic praise for their works. The masters have a lot to offer the aspiring author. There will be tons you love and also tons you hate. Keep the historical period in which they were writing in mind when exploring their styles.
Top Notch Titles. These are the books that make your mouth water. Author’s whose prose drip with magic and whose characters seem so real they could be your best friend. These are the books that if you were stranded on a deserted island you would want with you. The books you have reread and find yourself returning to or at least wanting to return to again. For me, these books include: The World According to Garp; The Crimson Petal and the White; The Historian; The Color Purple; almost anything by Alice Walker; and Bastard Out of Carolina.
Popular authors. These can be defines as authors who have multiple titles that have sold extremely well. Steven King, Anne Rice’s vampire novels, Daniel Steel, and the Harry Potter books are all examples of what I would describe as popular authors. There are more on the list, but you get the idea. Why do these books sell? What is the appeal of them? How do they rate to the Top Notch or Academically Praised titles?
Genre authors. You need to stay abreast of the genre you are writing in or hope to write in. Markets change, anthology editors change. The public is fickle. Read the most popular authors in your genre. Read the best selling anthologies in your genre. What makes them popular? How is your work similar/different? What do you have that is new to offer to the genre?
Writing Manuals. I always look at the writing manual section when I go to the book store. Sometimes a manual will catch my eye and I’ll spend a few hours a week for a few weeks reading it and doing the exercises in it. I find it to be, well in honesty, a lot of fun.
Something Different. Admit it; you have your favorite sections of the book store. You are drawn to a certain card catalog at the library. There are genres you haven’t explored yet. I always look at sci-fi/fantasy; memoir; graphic novels; GLBT section; and then crafts. I never wonder outside of those areas. I claim it is because I don’t have enough time in the bookstore, but that isn’t true. My partner would spend hours in the bookstore. The truth is those are the types of books I like to read. They are familiar and comfortable to me. Select at least one book a year that is actually something different. Read a mystery, romance, sci-fi, memoir, whatever that category is for you. You may discover a new genre you didn’t know you liked. You may learn a new craft skill. You may discover you want to write a book/story in that new genre.
Amie M. Evans
November 2008
“Two Girls Kissing: Writing Lesbian Literary Erotica” © 2008 Amie M. Evans. All rights reserved.