Reading Like a Writer

While I was on vacation last week, my wife and I were in a bookstore and she saw a book that she thought I should get. It's called, "Reading Like A Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books And For Those Who Want To Write Them." It's by Francine Prose. (Good name, by the way.)

I purchased a copy, not the least of which because it was deeply discounted. And it is a fascinating book on reading books slower and more closely to learn how authors construct their writing. The book is better than a creative-writing workshop because it assumes the reader likes to read and that writers like to read.

There are chapters in words, and on sentences, and on paragraphs, and then some. I particularly like the chapter on dialogue, although it was a little too long after she made her point. One of the things I do when writing dialogue is I try to hear it in my head and then put it down. It then can sound like informal speech that is spoke, sometimes choppy and directionless, and with incomplete sentences.

But when writing a novel, she says dialogue should be like spoken speech only better. There should be an economy of words to express a thought. That makes sense, which means I will have to reexamine all of my dialogue moving forward and when I get around to later drafts.

It is should a wonderful book I have suggested it to another aspiring novelist, even going as far as buying her a copy that I am sending tomorrow.

But like in all things, one shouldn't let reading a book get in the way of writing a book. There are tons and tons and tons of useful book on bookshelves around the globe. And if you try to glean every bit of knowledge out of them before you write, you will never get any writing done. And I plan to continue getting writing done.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.