Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books And For Those Who Want To Write Them
Francine Prose
2006, 273 pages
Nonfiction
Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose reads like an introductory college course – and it almost is, since she wrote it while teaching. It’s packed with examples and passages from classic works of literature and one mainstream bestseller. Each chapter focuses on one particular aspect of writing and the books that are a product of that writing, examining them like a scientist with a microscope.
According to Prose, that’s the secret to reading like a writer: examine every word, every sentence, and every paragraph; sample from the greats of literature, both in your preferred genre and in a wide variety of others. Above all else, pay attention to everything that the author has included, and investigate the motivation behind every phrase and character. Then, use that same attention to detail in your own writing: examine every word, every character and every theme. Like poetry, every word has to earn its place in the story.
Close reading is one way to learn from the best, it’s another method to employ in the pursuit of writing well, and while Reading Like a Writer may exclude genre fiction in its sampling, the lessons are universally applicable.
Amanda Alwyn
Concord Public Library
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