How to Read Like a Writer

How to Read Like a Writer  by Mike Bunn was a good read, about learning how to read like a writer, like the title states. It kept me captivated and I think the topic is interesting and it is something I have never actually thought about before. I honestly, do not read that much for pleasure anymore, and I do not write for pleasure anymore either, but it was something I really did enjoy when I was younger(than I am now).  I think this article makes a great statement and teaches the audience about reading for writing. I read the whole article through, and it made me think, "am I reading this like a writer?" I wanted to be a writer at one point in my life, but I do not think I ever read like a writer, because I am impatient and would skip-ahead, and skim. I never really read word-for-word. It never seemed to be my style, but now I feel like I am ripped myself off, because reading like a writer is important if I want to be a better writer, in all avenues of my writing. 

 What grabbed my attention was when Bunn stated, "I realized writing is a word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence process...I came to realize that all writing consists of a series of choices"(p.72, Bunn). It is intriguing(to me) that he said, "...all writing consists of a series of choices", because isn't that what life is kind of? A series of choices? We make choices every single day of our lives, and not to get philosophical or psychoanalytical but everything is a series of choices, and writing and reading is a part of the series of choices we choose to engage or not engage in, in our lives. We cannot fully escape reading or writing, because in our world we need this to survive, but we can do what I use to do, not read carefully or read like a writer. So I thought it was interesting Bunn said this because writing is a choice, just like everything else, a series of calculated or not so calculated choices, and reading is also a choice, and to be a better writer, you must also be a "good" reader(I think). Bunn wrote, "Reading like a writer can help you understand how the process of writing is a series of making choices, and in doing so, can help you recognize important decisions you might face and techniques you might want to use when working on your own writing"(p.75, Bunn). It is important to look at the decisions or choices you are making when reading and writing, just like in everyday life. To ask yourself questions, when you read and write. "Why did the writer put this here, and do I like that he/she did that? Could this technique work for the audience I am trying to reach?" I do not think I have ever done that while reading, but maybe while writing my own papers. And I think it is interesting that I have never been taught how to read like a reader thus far in my education and life. 

  Bunn also stated, "The idea is to carefully examine the things you read, looking at the writerly techniques in the text in order to decide if you might want to adopt similar (or the same) techniques in your writing"(p. 72, Bunn). The more you read and analyze, not necessarily the content of what you are reading, but the text and how the writer wrote is how you will become a better writer. So reading more will help you become a better writer, because if you never read its hard to analyze how you yourself want to write, but also reading mindfully and consciously about how the writer chose to write what they wrote. Bunn also wrote, "When you read like a writer, you are trying to figure out how the text you are reading was constructed so that you learn how to “build” one for yourself" (p. 74, Bunn). I think this the gist of what I was attempting to say. Basically, examine how the writer writes and decide if that works for you as a writer or not.

 I also appreciated that the author of the essay had former students give their opinion and advice about how to read like a writer, I think it was helpful for me as a student to see other students insights. I think one of the more helpful things suggested was, "The most common suggestion made by former students—mentioned by every single one of them—was to mark up the text, make com- ments in the margins, and write yourself notes and summaries both during and after reading" (p.81,Bunn). All in all, I found the article helpful and interesting. It made me realize I have not been reading like a writer and it is something I want to consciously work on and it is a choice that I am making for myself.