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May 2006
The Writer's Quest, part 6
As crazy as this past month has been, I have nothing new to report on any efforts to interest any agents or publishers in my work. However, something vital occurred to me in the last week of my class that I would like to share.
A couple of times during the last night of class, the idea of learning to read like a writer came up. The concept of reading a work and studying the way the author used the words, how they built their characters or paced the action; all the aspects of the manuscript that went in to make it what it is. As writers, we should learn from the way other writers work their craft, and the best place to do that is in their published works.
It's a marvelous idea, and to an extent one that most every writer does or should do. Writers should read; the two disciplines should go hand-in-hand and it's difficult to imagine any skilled writer who doesn't read. Seriously; how could we expect others to read our works if we cannot be bothered to read anyone else's work?
There is a danger, though, to this practice of reading and analyzing another author's work. What happens when we become so intent on reading as writers that we forget how to read as readers?
I wonder if this is what happened with our class instructor. She commented on a couple of occasions that she used to read various forms of genre fiction, but nowadays only reads literary fiction. Is it possible to be so focused on the techniques of the manuscript that we overlook the pleasure of just enjoying the story?
Why do we read in the first place? For most of us that read, we do so for one of two reasons. We may read for the purpose of educating ourselves, or for the purpose of entertaining ourselves. In the case of most fiction works, the latter is the dominant reason people read. The typical reader doesn't go to the library or bookstore looking for a book because of the unique and imaginative way the author used the words; they look for a book that they will enjoy reading. They want to spend some time in a story outside their normal day-to-day lives, and as long as the characters are engaging and the action keeps moving, they are happy.
To some, that sounds too simplistic. They equate such an attitude about books with the enjoyment of formulaic sit-coms or implausible comedy movies. Perhaps they will compare it with people who prefer pop music over classical. Whatever parallel they draw, the implied contrast is that the more intellectual and discerning a person is, the more they will gravitate towards the loftier, cerebral expressions of the arts.
It's a convenient classification, but I believe it's overly simplified and ignores a basic fact.
Art is to enjoy.
I believe when we become so entrenched in reading like writers we become like the painter who spends all his or her time studying Van Gogh's brush strokes and never steps back to appreciate the beauty of "Starry Night". We can zoom in so much on the details of the construction that we fail to appreciate the completed work.
I could wax analytical about the marvelous skill Dr. Seuss employed in writing his many children's books. His command of meter and rhyme is incredible; his poetry just seems to flow from the tongue and begs to be read aloud.
I could, and I have. If, however, I ever forget to just enjoy reading it, I hope all the Whos down in Whoville come and kick me from one end of town to another.
Read like a writer to learn, but never, ever, abandon reading like a reader to enjoy. I'd love to be so skilled as a writer someday that critics praise my use of language, but I don't think any compliment will ever surpass when someone tells me they fell in love with my characters.
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