Read as a Writer

Every writer has been told to read, read, read. Read as much as you can to improve your own writing skills.

Well, I read an interesting article at Writer Unboxed that explained why simply reading to improve your writing won’t cut it. 

According to the author, Julianna Baggott Faculty Director of Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing and Publishing, “I’ve found that some of my most thoroughly read students – the ones who devour and love every book they come across – are some of my hardest to teach. I believe that how one reads is essential. And if you don’t master reading as a writer, sheer quantity will be of little use.”

Baggott broke down reading as a writer into five categories: blueprint reading, territory reading, language reading, portal reading, singular lens reading.

Breaking them down:

1. Blueprint reading.

This goes back to read, read, read. While she kind of said this doesn’t work, she does agree that reading in volume does give you an idea of how a book is written to get published. (assuming you’re reading traditionally published books.)

For my writing, I like this type of reading. Seeing how the author puts the story together, how he builds his characters, how she keeps the conflict rising, how he ties up all loose ends . . .

It is a great tool to learn ‘good’ writing.

2. Territory reading.

This is reading to take ideas away with you. It could be from the topic, a chapter, a scene. At least this is what I think the author is saying.

I’ve done this. I’ll be reading a children’s book and an idea pops up. It may just be something I’m reading that takes me in a new direction. But, it can get the creativity flowing.

3. Language reading.

Reading with language in mind is to see the words that are used.

I do this often. While Baggott uses it for ideas and transitions into topics, I use it for the actual words. I love to see what words authors use to convey an emotion, a sensation, a description, and so on.

I also keep a database of words I find that I might be able to use down the road. So, just like the author of the article, I’ll have words circled or underlined in the books I read.

4. Portal reading.

I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure what the author is saying for this reading experience. As far as I can tell, it’s reading and through the scene be transported into your own story. The book somehow acts as a muse to give you insights into your story.

This hasn’t happened to me.

5. Singular lens reading.

This one is more about seeing everything through the story you’re writing. You look at book covers, titles, contents and how it relates to your story.

As Baggott puts it, “This reading is how you look at the world around you when you're so deeply involved in a project that everything you encounter gets filtered through that one lens.”

As a ghostwriter, I’m usually working on more than one story at a time plus my own stories. Because of this I don’t really get ‘singular lens’ anything.

But, it’s easy to see how this can happen.

Summing it up.

Being a writer, I notice how I read different than someone who doesn’t write. I see grammar. I see sentence structure, chapter structure, story structure, character building and sometimes all this is at the sake of the story itself. I’ll have to stop myself to actually just read the story.

But, this is what writers do consciously or subconsciously. We can’t help it.

And, now you have five reading styles to help you write your stories. Have you found yourself using any of these?

Reference:
5 Ways to Read as a Writer

This article was originally published at:
http://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2017/08/13/read-as-a-writer/

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author. She runs a successful children’s ghostwriting and rewriting business and welcomes working with new clients.

For tips on writing for children OR if you need help with your project, contact her at Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

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Don't Put a Limit on Your Imagination

The stories and articles you can write about are limited only by your imagination, ingenuity and persistence. And your ability to dig deep into and write well about a potentially good story or article can make you a published writer.
You can write about many things and here are a few of them:
Your Life. No two people have had the exact experiences. Each of us goes through life and experience things that are unique only to ourselves. Your life experiences are fodder for good personal experience articles. To start writing this type of article, brainstorm about unusual, unique, scary or even dangerous events you have experienced. From your list, think of an angle or an interesting way to present your experience.
How-To Articles. Do you have a special talent, skill or knowledge? Why not write instructional articles? Articles of this type are commonly known as how-to articles and are regularly published in magazines because of their popularity among readers. How-to articles are usually written in a step-by-step manner, using bullet or number lists.
Profiles. Personality profiles or sketches feature subjects who are more or less famous -- celebrities, sports heroes, politicians or someone who is recognized in his/her field. Ordinary people who have done extraordinary things are also good subjects for personality profiles. For profile articles, look within your community and see if you can find and interview local celebrities. Usually, profiles are in the form of Q&A so you need to come up with interesting questions for your subject.
Inspirationals. Stories that inspire, motivate and/or move people to tears or laughter fall under this category. Religious or secular articles are also forms of inspirational articles. If you're new to writing, submitting inspirational pieces for church or religious magazines is a good way to break into print.
Jaunts. Travel articles appeal to practically everyone, even to those who have never traveled. Have you been someplace where you found the sights, customs, food, habits or culture different and interesting? If you're a frequent traveler, start taking down notes of the best place to stay, where the interesting sights can be found and how to get to those places. Keep a travel notebook and log your travels. Write your impressions of places, people and cultures.
Special Interests. A few special interest subjects are parenting, child nutrition, home and garden and health. There are certainly thousands of publications that cater to special interest subjects. If you have been gardening for years, you can write articles for gardening enthusiasts. Specialize in your area of interest. Over time, you will establish yourself as an expert in that area.

Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com

You Don't Need Inspiration!

I get all kinds of newsletters, blog updates, and motivational articles in my inbox. Why? Because you never know when someone will say thing that strikes a cord. Well that happened today with Shery's article on "You Don't Need Inspiration". But instead of me telling you what she had to share, I'm going to let Shery.

From Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

You don't need inspiration. Or do you?

Writers write. You shouldn't wait around for inspiration to come. But sometimes, there are days you can't get anything written down. Or you're at a loss for words. You can't think of anything to write. You don't have any idea what to write about.

And then you end up believing you're having writer's block.

You end up believing it too much, you stop writing altogether. You might even think of yourself as not a real writer.

And all because of what? You think your muse deserted you? You think you have writer's block?

Think again! You sure as heck don't need inspiration to write!

What you do need are prompts to help get your writer's mind working and your hands writing or typing.

These prompts are your beginnings; the glimmer; the little sparks that you can shape and fashion into stories, articles, essays and features.

You don't need inspiration. All you need is an idea; a spark.

And here are a dozen sparks you can try out for yourself:

1. The first typewriter was patented on July 23, 1829. Interview some of the writers in your group and find out how they write. You can develop this into a light-hearted article for/about writers.

2. Many fictional characters are not fictional at all. Write about one real person who has been fictionalized.

3. Electricity is a recent discovery. Think of 10 things to do when there's no power.

4. Pirates no longer just refer to the highwaymen of the seas. There are different breeds of pirates today. Write about today's pirates and what they're pirating.

5. Many words in the English language come from the names of people -- such as mesmerize (from Mesmer, a hypnotist). Find out more words from people's names and write the story behind the words. (Or invent stories for names that became words.)

6. The US Declaration of Independence begins with this line: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." Write your own Declaration of Independence by using the same line as your starting point.

7. How do you start a fan club? Write a how-to on organizing a fan club for a favorite author, singer, actor or sports figure.

8. How do planets die?

9. Expound or dispute this: "Where science ends, religion begins."

10. Take a look at your bookshelf. Pick one book and write a review of it.

11. How is privacy invaded on the Internet?

12. Write an article on how to choose a pet. Target your piece for kids aged 7-10.


Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

About Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ:
Shery is the creator of WriteSparks!™- a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks!™ Lite for free at http://writesparks.com