Read Like a Writer

Reading great writing does not improve your writing unless you read like a writer, which is much harder (and slower) than just reading.

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  1. Further than that, reading great writing may not improve your reading either. You could merely be reading words on a page and not really understanding what the writer is trying to say. If this is the case, you have a long way to think about before you try to improve your writing by reading.

    • Good point, Radhika. More important than just reading is understanding what we’re reading. Often that takes slowing down and putting ourselves in the writers’ shoes, trying to see the world from his or her eyes. Admittedly, I scan things now and then, but when I’m reading something that I really want to ingest, I always slow down and try to consider the authors’ perspective.

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  • Tal Gur July 12, 2013