It’s pretty broadly accepted that reading makes you a better writer. It’s why I made reading more one of my writerly New Year’s Resolutions! But how do you actually go about reading to get the most benefit out of it? Sure, you can just read a load of stuff and wait for the words to work their magic. But if you’re looking for strategies to apply in your reading to become a better writer, that’s what I’ve got for you here!

Also, for the record, the majority of this totally works with and applies to audiobooks too. Just replace read with listen.

How to read to become a better writer

Look out for technique. How are published authors using punctuation, how are they integrating dialogue into their scenes, how are they dealing with exposition and description? If you know where your weaknesses are as a writer, you can pay extra attention to those aspects of other people’s work.

Pay attention to what is it that makes you love something! If there’s a character you like, a description that hits just right or a quote that gives you shivers, see if you can figure out what it is that you like so much. Try and explain it to somebody else, or write it down. What has the author done to provoke this reaction in you?

On the flip side, pay attention to what you want to skip, or what makes you lose interest in a story. Try to notice when you find your attention slipping, or start skimming over the writing on the page, and back up a bit to work out what caused that.

It’s a good idea to read within your genre and target market, so you know what’s going on, what’s popular and what people are enjoying. That doesn’t mean you want to try to mimic successful stories in your genre! It’s useful information though. Also, read outside your genre! Being adventurous in your reading material can make you a better writer, bringing in new inspiration and ideas.

Doesn’t this ruin books?!

Opinions vary on this one. Personally, I find that I enjoy reading just as much with this added awareness. It doesn’t stop me from being immersed in the story or invested in the characters. It just creates a new layer to the way in which I enjoy what I’m reading!

But I get that not everybody is like this, and some people prefer to read without having that analytical awareness at the same time. So, what do you do if you want to use critical reading to improve as a writer, but don’t want to get in your own way when it comes to enjoying books?

One option is to take a book you’ve already read and choose something to examine in it. This can actually be a great strategy for anybody, since you can pick your focus strategically.

If you read a book and thought the plot twist was brilliant, have a second look at it to see specifically how that twist was set up. If you read something where the characters annoyed you, re-read it with an eye on what it was that wound you up about those characters.

Do you feel like reading has made you a better writer?

If there’s a book that you think helped you get better at something about writing, share it in the comments!

Personally, I thought the relationship dynamics in Frankly in Love were fascinating and really well explored. I’m definitely drawing on that as I make edits to my current story, and start planning my next one!