how to improve your writing by analysing the books you read

My only method is called Paying Attention. Reading with a degree of care toward the manner in which the language is used, narrative efficiency, etc. But mainly I think if you read good writers, you will absorb a lot of stuff subliminally, and that can't help but help.

For instance, reading writers like Elmore Leonard or John D. MacDonald, who are horrorshow good at dialogue, should positively affect your sensibilities about creating your own good dialogue.

Pay attention, as blacbird said. What did you like? the sharp, clear dialogue? The descriptions? Clever use of simile or foreshadowing? Figure out what you like, and what makes it resonate with you.


One thing I will add is the suggestion you find some stuff that is a train-wreck, also. Not everyone here agrees, but I believe, very strongly, that you can learn almost as much, and in some cases more, from really bad writing as you can from good--what exactly is so wrong in a bad piece? Why is it wrong? Writing is at least as much an exercise in what NOT to do as what TO do, I think if anything what not to do is more critical.

You can use any number of styles and devices to TELL a story, but the things that will utterly fuck it up are pretty universal, no matter if you're writing a comedy or a thriller, first or third person, whatever. Learn what makes bad writing bad, and you can learn what you need to avoid.

I used novels to learn how to write omniscient viewpoint. I read quite a few of them to get a feel for it. There's a lot of variations, and I wanted to find one that I liked. I picked a book and studied the sentences. For example, some people accuse omni writers of head hopping. It actually isn't--certainly nothing like the head hopping that turns up in critiqued pieces. So I had to look for a place where the narrator shifted from one character to another and figure out what made it a smooth transition.

quicklime said:

One thing I will add is the suggestion you find some stuff that is a train-wreck, also. Not everyone here agrees, but I believe, very strongly, that you can learn almost as much, and in some cases more, from really bad writing as you can from good--what exactly is so wrong in a bad piece? Why is it wrong? Writing is at least as much an exercise in what NOT to do as what TO do, I think if anything what not to do is more critical.

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You can certainly learn from bad writing. It might be an individual thing, but for me, while bad writing can be instructive in a cautionary way, it's limited in what it can teach. Adverbs aren't inherently bad, for example, but many, many writers misuse and abuse them. You can take away the lesson that not using adverbs is better than using them poorly, but that's not the true lesson to be learned--the true lesson lies in finding a writer who uses adverbs skillfully, who evokes rather than smothers, illuminates rather than obscures, and decoding what makes adverbs work in one writer's hands while they fail in another's.

I seem to learn more when I have lots of good examples to emulate and aspire to. I'm reading an esteemed classic author for the first time right now, for example, and after the train of mediocre contemporary fiction I've read lately, it's so refreshing, inspiring, and invigorating. I feel like I've learned more from reading one finely crafted book than I did from reading a dozen middling ones.

But again, it may be an individual thing. We don't all learn the same way.

blacbird said:

My only method is called Paying Attention. Reading with a degree of care toward the manner in which the language is used, narrative efficiency, etc. But mainly I think if you read good writers, you will absorb a lot of stuff subliminally, and that can't help but help.

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That, exactly. And I keep the Paying Attention to a minimum. I don't want it to get in the way of experiencing the writing. Mostly, I read to enjoy and the good stuff sneaks in.

NiallMcF said:

... read with your writer's hat on, figure out why you like what you like.

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I've never been able to do this. I always read as a reader.

probably explains why I've never improved as a writer.

I am a firm believer in dissecting the works of authors we admire. The problem is, for many new authors, if you don't have some training in the craft of writing and the various styles there are, then you are not going to understand why an author formatted or crafted a story this way or that way.

If a new writer does not understand simile and how to use it, then they will never understand why an author used it here or there. Same with parody, the reader has to see it as parody in order to understand how the author used it and not everyone sees parody in the same light...

Take for instance the use of italics. An author might italic in one story to highlight words he wants to stand out, for dramatic effect. The new author goes ah-haaa, then reads another author who only uses italics to highlight internal thoughts, and the new author is now confused. This is where training, or learning the craft of writing and the various styles helps the new author see that both styles are acceptable because the authors were consistent in how they used them. Or something like that...

I really believe a combination of training, (self or formal), along with reading the works of authors you admire, and even those you don't, is really the best way to go...

But that is just my humble opinion...

I'm at the revision stage and am finding myself seeking out great books to help me with specific problems.
Like: what does a good transition look like? What's a great way to set the stage for a new chapter in a new setting? How do I describe a complicated layout in a park/house? Are there any good gestures, or are they all clichéd, like smiling and shrugging?

Usually I am just looking for inspiration, to get my brain rolling, but sometimes I will steal, and just insert my own substitute words into the structure. It's a very useful thing, especially for a beginner.

I learn the most from books that almost work for me but don't quite. Then I can try to pinpoint what went wrong. The books I love are usually too smooth surfaced for me to see how the writer is doing that. The ones that are bad just put bad language in my head that's likely to come out on my page. Also, then I think that writer got away with something so I can too. I avoid the bad ones.

I read a lot of (pretty much anything on, in fact) bestsellers and often will type in the first chapter (or a section i find amazing etc) and I reverse outline (as in, try to write an outline based on the book) as well.
Mostly I just read for enjoyment and then if the author is doing something I want to be able to do really well, I go back and re-read and figure out how they are pulling it off, then I go practice it in my own works. Study books like the ones you want to write, but also don't be afraid to read outside in other genres/types as well, because many long-selling authors all do *Something* well and my personal opinion is that I can only get better by trying to learn what those things are and how to do it.

I find it very useful to make a plot outline of any story I want to analyze. That will probably also reveal the theme(s).

NiallMcF said:

on the "what books helped improve your writing?" thread, one piece of advice that keeps coming up is; analyse the books you like, read with your writer's hat on, figure out why you like what you like.

would anyone care to elaborate on this? how do you analyse the books you read? what are you looking for? what methods do you use?

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After reading a book, if I really liked it and want to figure out how the writer did what he or she did, I'll go back and reread it with a more critical eye. I get a paperback copy if I don't have one already, break the spine, and then take a highlighter or scripture pencil to it (scripture pencils don't soak through the pages like most highlighters do).

I highlight stuff where the writer snuck in sensory details (sight, sound, touch, taste, etc.), world building, exposition without sounding like an info dump, clever turns of phrases, and so on. Also highlight in a different color specific plot elements, turns in the story, character tags, and so on.

I don't do this with a lot of books, maybe just a handful, but it really helped me to see how a pro did it. I flip through the marked up books from time to time as a refresher.

Ineti said:

After reading a book, if I really liked it and want to figure out how the writer did what he or she did, I'll go back and reread it with a more critical eye. I get a paperback copy if I don't have one already, break the spine, and then take a highlighter or scripture pencil to it (scripture pencils don't soak through the pages like most highlighters do).

I highlight stuff where the writer snuck in sensory details (sight, sound, touch, taste, etc.), world building, exposition without sounding like an info dump, clever turns of phrases, and so on. Also highlight in a different color specific plot elements, turns in the story, character tags, and so on.

I don't do this with a lot of books, maybe just a handful, but it really helped me to see how a pro did it. I flip through the marked up books from time to time as a refresher.

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I did this at school in English literature class and it is perhaps the best way of spotting what it was that I really liked in the writing. I also use old essay questions and try to apply them to the book I want to study by myself, and it's actually quite a lot of fun. I like using different colour highlighters for different parts of the book I want to concentrate on, like blue for dialogue, yellow for description, etc.

Reading is always an education when it comes to writing. Start by asking yourself questions once you finish a book. Maybe write notes about what you liked, didn't like and why.

What worked in the story and character development and what did not? Was there enough conflict? Was the resolution, if there was one, believeable and satisfying? Did the end serve the story? What did you think of the pacing? Were there parts that dragged? How did the author move the story from one event to the next? Were the voice and characters consistent? Were you intrigued in the story and characters or not and what attracted you or was lacking? Would read other works by that same author?

As Blacbird said above, much of it is subliminal. If you read a lot, chances are very high that you've been taking in and processing a lot more information about wordcraft than you realize.

The more you do it, the more you'll catch yourself doing it as you read. There have been many excellent writers who did not have a higher education in the craft. But they did read and understand stories.

I'm way too stubborn to take hints from the works of other writers.

Analyze only one aspect of the book or short story. For instance, you might want to focus on the development of a particular character, of setting or of a particular plot line. Maybe you want to look at sentence structure, how varied it is, or at narrative vs. dialogue. Even then, try to restrict the number of chapters you study. It shouldn't become a thesis. Do just enough that you understand and can get something out of it.

I find that listening to a book on audio can often give me a stronger feeling for the prose than if I simply read along in my head. When I first began writing, I couldn't find my rhythm, so to speak, but after listening to a chapter on audio, I could pick up the cadence right away. Eventually, my own personal rhythm and cadence became normal to me and I didn't need the prompt anymore.

Just another thought on how other author's can inform your own writing.

Warmly,
Jenny

Greeble said:

I'm way too stubborn to take hints from the works of other writers.

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In all seriousness...

A book club also will help. Yeah, I know, writers, being natural contrarians, might balk at this, but a SMALL club, just a few friends, including your wannabe author-friends, can prove to be very helpful. You will hear someone's else voice instead of your own in your head all the time. (Which is what we basically listen to, right, as we write, edit, revise, analyze, etc.)

Or even try this, you and one friend, who has tremendous insight, read the same book and spend a few minutes online or over coffee or somewhere to talk about it. What did you like, you say to the friend. What did you HATE? Any discussion about literature will open up your eyes and mind to the possiblities in your own writing.

NiallMcF said:

on the "what books helped improve your writing?" thread, one piece of advice that keeps coming up is; analyse the books you like, read with your writer's hat on, figure out why you like what you like.

would anyone care to elaborate on this? how do you analyse the books you read? what are you looking for? what methods do you use?

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1- Read the book. Don't try to analyse it, just read it.
2- Have a think about the book. What bits did you like? Why do you think they worked? Which bits didn't you like? What would you have improved? Look for repeating images or recurring themes.
3- Discuss your thoughts with fellow readers. Their thoughts might spark your own thoughts.

I analyse everything to death; it's how I take in information...

1. What is the writer trying to communicate?
2. What challenges are there to communicate it here?
3. How has the writer addessed those challenges?
4. What was the impact of communicating in this manner?
5. Was it the imapact the author wanted?
6. Were there any unintended consequences of communicating this way?
7. Who else has tried to communicate similar things?
8. How has it worked in comparison?
9. Which ways work better and why?
10. Is there anything about the message or the manner that is surprising?
11. What elements surprise and why?
12. How might the author have found those elements?

While reading a novel this morning, I set it aside and rifled my bookshelves to find another that I thought had a better opening, just to compare them.

a) I don't analyze what I read when I FIRST read it... I read for enjoyment.

b) when I do analyze it, I read it like a beta would an author's manuscript. I look for things like pacing, hook, POVs, dialogue, etc. And because I already have a sense of what works and what doesn't, when I analyze, I go back and see "hey this worked really well, so how did the author do it?" and "hey, this really sucked, what did he do wrong?" and apply what I know about writing to the analysis: POV is all over the place, the logic is flawed, the pacing is great, dialogue is well written, the prose is superb, etc.

It's not a science but it's important that we develop our critical analysis skills. It's a great way to learn what works and what doesn't and how to apply similar techniques.

I agree that the first thing one should do is read for enjoyment. If you don't start with that, you won't be able to identify the things you like! Once you're finished, sit down and try to think through the things that stick with you as being particularly wonderful. Go back to the story and try to tie your sense of those things down to the text - by which I mean to say, for example, if you love a mood that was created, try to identify the set of sentences that created that particular mood. Once you've identified parts of the text that speak to you in a particular way, take a closer look and try to identify why they feel that way to you. I'm very analytical, and not just on a story level but a grammatical level as well... It's important, though, not to lose sight of the gut-level subconscious impression you get from a story. Like approaching the same problem from two sides: the "feel" side and the "words" side. Ask yourself, "what is it that creates this impression?" It can be something as small as the use of the word "the" instead of "a" to convey the sense that the narrator already knows what something is. Watch for repetitions in story structure on any level - word repetitions, repetitions in grammatical structure, repetitions in a type of event... especially if they come in threes. Three is usually the magic number for making a reader's ears perk up and having them say "ooh, something is going on here." So long as you don't lose sight of why you enjoyed the work in the first place, analysis can be an excellent tool for self-improvement (it has been for me!).