How I read by Eric Beetner

 Has being a writer changed the way you read? What are you reading now?

I’d like to think I read the same way as I did before I became a published author. I think reading “like a writer” is something that lives inside those of us who decide to take the plunge, even from a young age. 

It is similar to the way I watched films in my youth. The difference I saw in people like me who chose to attend film school, is that we saw beyond the light and shadow on the screen. I wanted to know the mechanism behind it all. I noticed camera movement, framing choices, editing styles. Most people sit and let themselves be entertained, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some just want to know how the clockwork fits together. 

I always knew the students who wouldn’t make it to graduation without switching majors. We’d watch a film and they’d have an opinion, sure, but it was binary. That was good or that was bad. But when asked to explain WHY something worked or didn’t work for them, they came up blank.

I think that dividing line stands for any art.

Writers who are readers can come across a great plot twist and marvel at how it was done. They can file away the lesson for later. A great sentence or word choice, a brilliant metaphor or smilie can inspire a writer to think differently. It’s not plagiarism, but every writer takes inspiration. As they quote from T.S. Eliot goes: “Good writers borrow, great writers steal.”

It’s a misnomer to think that writers can’t “enjoy” a book the same way if we are analyzing it the whole time. Quite the opposite. When a great story sweeps us away, we get taken as much as anyone else. But we want to know why it works when we get to the end. Conversely, if something isn’t doing it for me, I start to break down what it is I don’t like about it and make a note to avoid that in my own writing. Something that takes too long to get started. A big info dump. A reaction or dialogue that feels unnatural from the characters. I strongly feel we learn more from the stuff that doesn’t work than we do from the brilliant stuff. Sometimes it’s hard to break down the magic of a great story. But if there is an obvious flaw in a plot or a character’s action, they stand out and are great lessons to be learned.

And I know I am always trying to learn. I find as much to learn in books now and I did 30 years ago, long before I ever wrote a book.

Right now I’m reading a vintage novel. Well, vintage from 1960, which still sounds like it wasn’t that long ago but my kids feel differently. It’s called Hit and Run by Richard Deming. It’s my first Deming book and he came recommended to me by another pulp fiction fan as someone who was highly underrated. It’s true, I hadn’t heard of him before, and it’s also true that the book is great. It’s tight, pulpy, has all the hallmarks of a great Noir story. Right in my wheelhouse.

And yes, I’m taking note of every great plot twist. The way Deming withholds information from the reader to build suspense and drop a few shock moments. I’ll probably finish that one today and move on to something contemporary. And hopefully, I’ll learn something new.