How to Read Like a Writer: 10 Lessons to Elevate Your Reading and Writing Practice

“How to Read Like a Writer” is a practical and accessible guide for writers to improve their craft through careful reading. It covers key elements such as genre, plot, characters, narrators, scenes, settings, structure, language, subtext, and style, with each lesson pairing published readings with practical exercises.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 13 January 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

“Reliably insightful.” – Publishers Weekly

The first step to becoming a successful writer is to become a successful reader. Helping you develop your critical skills is an accessible and effective step-by-step guide to how careful reading can help you improve your craft as a creative writer, whatever genre you are writing in.

Across 10 lessons – each pairing published readings with practical critical and creative exercises – this book helps writers master such key elements of their craft as:

Genre – from fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry to hybrid genres such as graphic narratives and online forms.

Plot, conflict, theme, and image.

Developing characters – physical descriptions, psychological depths, and actions.

Narrators and points of view – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person narratives.

Scenes and settings – time, space, and place.

Structure and form – length, organization, and media.

Language, subtext, and style.

By exploring these essential elements through a combination of theoretical analysis and practical exercises, How to Read Like a Writer provides writers with the tools they need to take their writing to the next level. Whether you are a seasoned writer looking to refine your craft or a newcomer to the world of creative writing, this book will help you unlock your full potential as a writer.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 170 x 244 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350119406