How do you read books?

[u/NK_Grimm]

One of the best tips for writers is to read. And that's a general advice, if you wanna do X, nothing's better than seeing X being done. But I wonder, is reading for leisure enough? Or do you actually stop and try to understand what makes the author's writing work that you could implement on your own?

I most often read for leisure. Sometimes I do get struck with "oh this is cool" in terms of writing and take a mental note out of it, but I never stop reading just to scrutinize a paragraph or two.

Sometimes I also get the opposite, "I don't really like this." Not that I deem it bad writing. I'm in no place to judge other writers, but they just fall opposite to what I feel is better or my style of doing it, for what it's worth.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135]

If you can't bring yourself to judge other authors, you're not going to get much from reading their books. To really improve you need to be able to take that 'I didn't like that' feeling and turn it into specific criticism of the way they wrote their story.

[u/NK_Grimm → u/Last_Swordfish9135]

Fair point, just don't wanna sound entitled or something. It's not that I don't like it or that I think it's wrong, it's just different from what I expect. One example, and one recent, is a paragraph I read that covered the action of two separate characters. One sentence had a "he did" while the next had a "she did". If it was me, I would split the paragraph (one paragraph for each character)

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/NK_Grimm]

I don't think you really can be an author without a little bit of an ego lol. Also, 'I disliked this desicion and if it were my book I would do something else, which I think would improve it' isn't the same thing as 'the author is failing me as a reader for not making their book up to their standards, I am going to personally attack them for their inadequacy', and while the second one is entitlement the first one is just reading critically.

[u/tennykah]

For me, the analysis & critique is part of the leisure!! It’s hard to get to this point though, cuz a lot of people (including myself in the past) couldn’t indulge in the leisure if they’re simultaneously critiquing/analyzing. My advice for this is to put the feeling/experience first BEFORE the analysis, always. Instead of thinking “So and so did this. I guess that makes it funny,” instead go “That was funny!!! ….Why?” That way you won’t lose the fun to the judgment. It’s good practice.

[u/SaveFerrisBrother]

I used to read solely for pleasure, and it definitely helped. Now, I'll notice things while I'm reading, and make mental notes, or actual physical notes. It doesn't detract from my enjoyment, and actually adds a level of appreciation I didn't really have before.

[u/Nethought]

One word at a time

[u/Prize_Consequence568]

"How do you read books?"

With my eyes?

"I most often read for leisure."

There you go.

"But I wonder, is reading for leisure enough? Or do you actually stop and try to understand what makes the author's writing work that you could implement on your own?"

Both.

[u/Rebanders92]

It’s not so much judging other writers for me as just asking myself why, then how, then what. Why did I think something was cool? How did it work? What did the author do to accomplish that thing?

It works for the opposite too, just slightly tweaked: why, what, how come. Why didn’t I like the thing? What was the writer trying to do? How come it didn’t work?

I will say though, when I can read a book without dissecting it like this, it makes me feral to backtrack and reread as a writer. There’s no better feat than getting a writer reading your book to stop thinking and just exist in the story.

[u/The_Metal_One]

I think re-reading is more important than reading.
You're less distracted by the plot, and better able to take in the subtleties of what's going on under the hood.

[u/iwontelaborate]

I flip-flop. I’m an English major and some years of learning how you’re supposed to analyze texts their way has helped me a lot with my own reading comprehension; for more verbose literature or articles I definitely stop and think over what’s been written, but that’s only sustainable for so long before it gets tiring. It’s an easy way to get burnt out, so I usually intersperse the semester with leisure reading where I don’t have to think as much.

It can be hard to turn off the analysis, but when it’s applied to books I’m reading for fun it stops being tiring and becomes a lot more interesting.

[u/Classic-Option4526]

I do both.

I read for leisure because I don’t want to kill my love of the written word by making it always work. Plus, you can get a petty good feel for the bigger picture things (ex: can I write a book which follows more than one pov character? Well if you’ve read for fun then you know many books do that). And, you can a repository of examples you can go back to if you do need to study something specific (I want to study fight scenes, I just read a book with really good fight scenes, lets go see how they did it.)

But, you’ll gain more by active study. I specifically set aside time to really focus on and pick apart what I like or don’t like about a specific passage. What do they focus on? What techniques do they use? How do they create tension? Etc. Occasionally when reading for pleasure I’ll bookmark a section to come back and study after I’ve finished the book.

[u/TheFirstLanguage]

The best way to get better at writing is to write. If you like to read, or you feel the need to study a concept, go for it, but reading is not going to make you a writer, no more than watching the NBA is going to make you a basketball player.

[u/OnlyGuestsMusic]

I’m currently writing a horror novel. I previously wrote an early reader, rhyming children’s book. I recently wrote, and am looking for representation for, a children’s sci-fi book in a comic book/graphic novel adjacent style. I only read nonfiction. lol

[u/Imaginary-Problem308]

I read them the same as I always read. I try not to nitpick while I'm enjoying it. I might re-read again more analyzing for structure. But first pass through, I'm usually just enjoying myself.

[u/Justisperfect]

Reading "for leisure" is great cause it gives you an idea of what other peiple are doing, and so will help you being more original or give you ideas.

Reading with a critical mind with help the writing in itself. What works, what doesn't.

[u/rebeccarightnow]

Read for leisure, but think about how the author managed to evoke the emotions you’re experiencing along the way.

[u/KaydenHarris1712]

Try making a habit of noting why something resonates with you or why it doesn't, then consider how you can incorporate those insights into your writing.

[u/Outside-West9386]

I just read. I don't study it. I read for pleasure and have done for more than 50 years. I've been writing 40+ years. Never felt like I needed to study. Just did it.

[u/PC_Soreen_Q]

You're a reader, you can judge the content you consume. Read it, understand it, examine it, take what you like.

[u/julesreadsa1ot]

Depends on if you're looking for macro or micro-level stuff.

Macro would be related to larger scale storytelling which I think is easier to critique/analyze when reading through a book normally. If you don't like the way a character arc resolves, it'll be pretty obvious to you why that might be, and as long as you give it some thought as to what you did/didn't like about the execution, you can use that information to guide your decisions regarding your own content.

Micro level stuff would be more related to prose and such. It's a little harder to, just, pick up on that sort of thing leisurely, though. You have to actually analyze the content more intentionally. For example, if you're reading a multi-POV book but find yourself confused on who's talking during certain chapters, that might be something worth stopping and intentionally analyzing. Clearly the author is struggling to give each character a unique voice, but figuring out why that's happening might require some deeper investigation. Takes a little longer, but probably worth it. God bless.