Reading as an Author

Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares writers’ resources on her award-winning blog Sharing with Writers

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children’s Writer

Every writer has been told to read. Read as much as you can to improve your writing skills, whether for children’s writing or another genre.

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, and singular lens reading.

Breaking them down:

1. Blueprint reading.

Blueprint reading goes back to read, read, read. While Baggott ‘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, and so on.

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

2. Territory reading.

Territory reading is reading to take ideas away with you. These ideas could be from the topic, a chapter, or 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 when 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 about this reading experience. As far as I can tell, it’s reading and, through the scene, being transported into your own story. The book somehow acts as a muse to give you insights into your story.

This experience hasn’t happened to me.

5.  Singular lens reading.

This one is more about seeing everything through the lens of the story you’re writing. You look at book covers, titles, and contents and consider how they relate 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 usually work 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.

As a writer, I notice how I read differently than someone who doesn’t write. I see grammar, sentence structure, chapter structure, story structure, and character building, and sometimes all this is at the sake of the story itself. 

Writers do this. We can’t help it.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, rewriter, editor, and coach with clients worldwide. If you need help with your children’s story, please visit Karen Cioffi Writing for Children.
 

Karen also offers HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK.
A 250+ book that will help you start or finish your children’s book

And for those children’s authors who are self-publishing, Karen can help with WRITERS ON THE MOVE PRESS.

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MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including “The Frugal Book Promoter” (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and “The Frugal Editor” both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are “How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically,” and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, “Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers” (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and “Great First Impression Book Proposals” (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. “The Frugal Editor “(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is “A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques” (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing–grammar, formatting and more–at “The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor” (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.