The Guinea Pig Report: Reading As A Writer, Part 2
Becoming A Writer, Chapter Nine: The Second Reading
There was a concrete point in my reading life when I began occasionally flipping back to Page 1 after reaching THE END. I’m no longer sure how long ago it was, but I know exactly which book it was: Clive Barker’s Abarat. As soon as I knew how it ended, I wanted to reread the book to watch all the pieces fall into a line pointing towards that end.
You may already be doing this yourself. If not, it’s time to start. As you read a second time, keep your eyes open:
Where was the character trait that brings about the major complication first mentioned? Was it brought in smoothly and subtly, or lugged in by the ears? Do you find, on second reading, that there are false clues–passages which do not make the book more real, or which distort the author’s intention, but which have been allowed to pass although they introduce an unnecessary element or actually mislead the reader?
—p.102
Use your first reading assessment as a study guide as you take your return voyage through the text. Whatever your first impression of the book, find the concrete line-by-line reasons for it as you read this second time. And, just as you examined your own writing for strengths and weaknesses, do the same here:
Read with every faculty alert. Notice the rhythm of the book, and whether it is accelerated or slowed when the author wishes to be emphatic. Look for mannerisms and favorite words, and decide for yourself whether they are worth trying for practice… How does he get the characters from one scene to another, or mark the passing of time? Does he alter his vocabulary and emphasis when he centers his attention first on one character and then on another?
—p.103
…And so forth.
This exercise, in my opinion, has benefits beyond improving the range of your writer’s toolbox. In addition to learning by example, there’s also an aspect of learning by doing. Brande’s book, in its emphasis on the beginning writer finding his or her voice or the experienced writer taking an inventory, hasn’t covered this yet, but an important part of writing is self-editing. By studying the feats and foibles of published authors, you strengthen your own ability to do the same in your own work (or in others’ work, as you might if you join a peer-critique workshop. This will serve you well when you’re revising a polishing a finished piece.