Reading as a Writer

Two things first, before I forget: I am going to try to make this blog post shorter. While I know, if the blog post is really interesting, it can be of long length, I need to slow down until I gain more readers. More about that on wednesday. Also - and I almost forgot as I was typing this (You'd think I was smoking, in which case I'm not) - I'm no longer updating on Fridays. I figure Monday's, Wednesday's, and the random Tip of the Month posts is enough for now.

So, for the topic. I got the idea from another marvelous author and blogger, Gail Levine. Read the blog post, The End of a Chapter.

Reading as a writer is almost as helpful as it is frustrating. Unless the book is so moving and so interesting that I can't stop, I often find myself pointing out irritating sentence structure and repetitive sentence beginnings. I literally count the number of 'was's' used in the paragraph. This means that I have to go back and reread large amounts of the chapter, because once I start to point out consistent errors in others' works, I tend to think about my writing screw-ups. That takes me right out of the story.

That's good because it makes me want to write and/or improve my writing, but it's bad because it means I read books at a much slower pace. This is a habit mostly dominant when I'm reading fiction, though. I think that's why, lately, all I've had a desire for is guidebooks. In fact, I turned a fantasy story collection edited by Robert Silverberg back in to the library unfinished only to pay twenty-five cents for a book called '110 People Who Are Screwing Up America.' Not that the fantasy stories were bad - They were very good, having stuff by the 'Legends' of fantasy. (The collection was called Legends, if you're wondering).

The result, I think, is that I’m now a reluctant reader. I won’t pick up a long book unless it’s by an author I love or unless someone I trust has sworn it’s a great book. I always check the number of pages before I start reading, and I recheck occasionally as I go along. I look ahead to see how many pages are left in the chapter I’m reading too, and I’m disheartened if the chapter ending is a long way off, even if I’m enjoying the book. I like to see a break coming up.When I get to the break I’m likely to continue reading if the chapter ends on an exciting note, or if I know an important moment is approaching. But I’m happy for that little breather. {Gail Carl Levine}

And that leads to my next point, mentioned first in Gail Levine's post. Part of the reason why I picked up Legends was because it had the names Robert Silverbeg, Orson, Stephen King and Terry Pratchett on it. Authors that I've read and enjoyed before. Part of the reason why I put it back was because the chapters were ridiculously long, and I wanted something of a break. Petty reasons, yes. But petty reasons that started when I became serious about writing.

How about you? Has studying the art of writing and writing/reading so many works yourself changed how you read in a negative or positive way, or in between? Please share!