On July 26, 2025, Kasie and Rex prepped for their Summer Series presentation with a show on reading like a writer. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

Read Like a Writer

Agenda

• Quick catch-up
• How to select books
• Things to look for in the books
• Why writers are the worst readers

Segment 1

I teach the workshop “Read Like a Writer” as part of my SC Humanities Speakers Bureau offerings. I call it “How to Get Kicked out of Book Club.” Next Tuesday we are going to present the topic for the SCWA’s Summer Series. We’re in the last two weeks of Summer Series, so if you’ve missed it, I’m sorry. But you can access all the previous sessions through the SCWA video library, available through the myscwa.org login which you only get by becoming a member.

In the workshop, I ask how many people have read 6 books this year, and then count up – 12 books? You’re on pace for book club. 20 books? You’re reading ahead. 30 books? You’re choosing books over family, be careful there. 

Let’s talk metrics – the number of books varies because books come in a variety of sizes and intensity. I read a LOT of books, but it’s mostly because they’re like candy. Easy to consume and quickly forget. What value is there in volume?

When and where do you read? Do you always have a book with you? Is it hard to get into and out of a book?

How do you make your book selections? There’s a ton of marketing that tries to put books in front of you, my Kindle displays an ad even when it’s off. Writers are always trying to recommend their titles to you. How do you decide what to read?

If you’re reading like a writer, there are a few ways:

1. Read in your genre – knowing the conventions matters if you’re writing in that space, so the more you read in your genre, the more familiar you’ll be. Also, comp titles and niche audiences within the category.
2. Read the classics – there’s a reason these books stand the test of time and even if you have an undergraduate degree and a masters in English, you haven’t read the full canon. Find the second tier and third tier classics – the ones not immediately on the list.
   1. Frankenstein is expected, Dracula is the second tier
   2. Great Expectations is expected, Brideshead Revisited is the second tier
   3. The Great Gatsby is expected, The Sun Also Rises is the second tier.
3. Read the rabbit hole – find the concentric, or adjacent books. The canon would have us read representative literature, one book from each era, but there are adjacent books to the era and when you submerge yourself, you get a better sense of the time. For example, in the 2010s the publishing world was full of World War II novels. It was fun seeing the Great War in every theatre including Shanghai, Charleston, Paris, Massachusetts, England and England again, occupied France in this novel and again in this novel, even Australia.

What are some other ways of choosing books? Shopping for them? I take pictures of covers and then look for them at the library when I run out of queued titles.

You might also read the books others have given you. These may or may not be in your genre, your area of interest, or even be very good. They may want a review or may just be a good friend you want to support.

Segments 2 & 3

Toni Morrison said to write the book you want to read and that’s great advice for writers because if you’ve read extensively in your genre – Vampire Romance – and found you’re still unsatisfied, then take a crack at delivering what you wish the others had. It’s terrible advice, by the way, if you plan to sell a lot of your books, but we’ll come back to that.

So how do you know if the books in your genre aren’t getting it done? You evaluate them. This, by the way, is the fastest way to get kicked out of book club.

Start broad:

• Theme – what are the recurring themes in this genre?
• Cast of characters – what are the expected archetypes in this genre?
• Plot patterns – what are the expected beats and patterns of this genre? For example, romance has the meet-cute, the attraction intensity, the get together, the betrayal or misunderstanding that drives them apart, and then the change that leads to reconciliation.
• Settings and landscapes – what are the common characteristics about the settings and locations for this genre? Cities? Small towns? Country estate? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

These general questions apply to every genre and there’s a fun compare/contrast in literature classes where we might have two novels set in the same place and talk about how the authors use the space differently. Or two novels that occur in the same era and talk about how the authors address the common features of the era – racism in the south in To Kill a Mockingbird and A Time to Kill.

On a specific book, ask yourself these detail questions:

• How is the pace of the story? Are there places I got bored?
• What important choices are the characters making? Does the writer make those choices obvious? What would happen if they did something different?
• How much dialogue is in the book? Did it seem like enough? Too much?
• What repeats did the author commit? Reiterating information, reminding us of something? Or developing character with some habit?
• Where does the theme of the story really shine through?

Also a good way to get kicked out of book club, BTW.

Segment 4

Should you leave reviews on books? I’m a yes and no on this. If you’re reading like a writer, you’re likely to be more critical than the average reader. It’s a great idea to promote books and let people know the writer has done a good job. It’s less great to say mean things about a book you didn’t enjoy. 

Here are some quick guidelines:

• If the book you’re reading sucks, stop reading it. Move on. There are 2.4 million books published every year and the ones from last year and the year before are still around. You don’t have to read a bad book.
• If you have an author you like, stick with them. You know they’ll satisfy. And some are prolific like Patti Callahan Henry who publishes a new book every year. I was in a book club that loved them some John Grisham. They’re New York Times bestsellers for a reason.
• Ask your library for lists. Librarians love to group titles according to theme, age, gender, era, you can get a list for absolutely anything. Being well read is not just volume, it’s also breadth.
• Read the Book Club guide in the back of the book before you read the book – it will help you be aware of themes and turning points as they occur. You might also read a review or two.
• Make notes in the margin – not in the library books, they frown upon that – but you can annotate in a hardback you own or on your Kindle. Notes like, “Why?” and “Again?”