Hall 1 Destin Hall Dr.

Lauren Mason English 1101-015 25 August 2013 How to Read Like a Writer Outline I. Mike Bunns life after college in London A. His job at the Palace Theatre 1. Beautiful, four story theatre in London 2. Had to wear a red tuxedo jacket 3. Passive security guard B. Reading on the job 1. Lots of distractions 2. Struggle to concentrate lead to extreme focus 3. Found reading in a particular way made him a better writer II. Meaning of reading like a writer A. The Idea 1. Carefully examine what you read 2. Look at the writerly techniques the author uses 3. Decide if you want to embrace similar techniques B. How to focus your reading 1. Dont read for content 2. Examine the authors choices in techniques 3. Take note of your own response

Hall 2 C. The goal as you read 1. Locate the most important writerly choices 2. Consider what effect those choices will have on potential readers 3. Imagine the effect of other choices the author could have made 4. Decide if you want to try these techniques in your own writing 5. Decide how the choices made you feel

III.

RLW vs. Normal reading A. Reading normally 1. You do it to learn how to do something 2. You do it for information 3. You do it for knowledge B. Read as if you are an architect/carpenter in RLW 1. You understand how the text was constructed 2. Learn how you can construct something similar

IV.

Why practice RLW? A. Professors expect you to read this way B. It make you think and learn about writing C. You understand the process and the art of writing

V.

Questions to ask before reading A. What is the context? 1. Surrounding the assignment 2. Surrounding the text

Hall 3 B. What is the authors purpose in writing this piece? C. Who is the intended audience for this piece? D. What is the genre? 1. Type of writing 2. Type of textbook E. Is the work published or not? F. Will you be assigned this type of writing? VI. Questions to ask while you are reading A. Ask the same questions you asked yourself before beginning to read 1. Authors purpose? 2. Intended audience? B. Choices and technique questions 1. Where would I take this story? 2. Why did the author do this? 3. What is the author telling me? 4. What would I do if I were the author? C. Language questions 1. How effective is the language? 2. Is the language too informal or too formal? 3. Is the language appropriate? D. Evidence questions 1. Is the evidence effective and appropriate? 2. What kind of evidence is used?

Hall 4 3. Are famous peoples quotes, the authors personal stories, book citings, or statistics used as evidence? E. Questions, if confused 1. What places in the writing confused you? 2. What about these place confused you? F. Transition questions 1. How does the author transition from idea to idea? 2. Are these transitions effective? 3. What other way could the author have made these transitions? VII. What to do while reading A. Take notes 1. Put marks on the text 2. Put comments and notes to yourself in the margins 3. Summarize while reading and when done reading B. Highlight or underline with a pen C. Answer questions on a notepad while reading 1. What techniques are being used? 2. Are the techniques being used effective? 3. What are the pros and cons if I used this techniques in my writing? VIII. RLW in action A. Read the opening paragraph using RLW 1. Before you read, ask the before you read questions 2. As you read it, ask the while reading questions

Hall 5 IX. Conclusion A. What the just of reading like a writer 1. Questioning the authors decisions 2. Considering if other techniques might have made the text better 3. Determining how to use the best attributes of what you read in your own writing

Summary Questioning why the author made certain decisions. Considering what techniques could have made the text better. Deciding how to include the best attributes of what you read in your own writing. This is what reading like a writer is all about (Bunn 85). How to Read Like a Writer teaches you to ask yourself vital questions before and while you read. The idea is not to read for the mere content, but to read to comprehend how the work of art, good or bad, that you are reading was put together piece by piece. You are not only meant to decipher the code for which the piece that you are reading is built; you are to question it. The goal is to carefully consider the choices the author made and techniques that he or she used, and then decide whether you want to make those same choices or use those same techniques in your own writing (Bunn, 73). Each word, sentence, technique, and approach, which the author uses, is to be questioned and considered. You must take note of the effect and reaction that the authors choices are

Hall 6 having on you. Also, you want to consider the effect and reactions that the choices the author made could have on potential readers. Before reading, you need to ask yourself a few questions. What is the authors purpose in this piece? Who is the intended audience for this piece? What is the genre of this piece? Is it published or a student written piece? Will you be assigned this kind of writing? Knowing these questions ahead of time will help you understand the authors choices more or maybe you will be utterly baffled by the authors choices. Either way, asking these questions before you read prepares you to begin reading like a writer.

While reading, you not only need to ask questions, but you also need to take notes. Taking personal notes in the margins and making summaries are extremely important. Often the notes students took while reading become ideas or material for the students to use in their own papers (Bunn 81). Yet, being equally as important is asking yourself questions as you read. Why did the author do this? What is the author trying to say? How effective is the language? How effective is the evidence the author uses? These are just some of the unlimited, tremendous question, which you could and should be asking yourself while reading. Also, if you are reading and a section of the piece is confusing, take note of it and avoid making that mistake in your own writing. Taking notes and asking questions is another fundamental step to reading like a writer.

In conclusion, in How to Reading Like a Writer 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 own writing (Bunn, 72). You literally read, as you ask yourself and consider the same questions, which the author asked himself. Using

Hall 7 this strategy of reading like a writer, you embrace the best techniques that you have discovered while reading and insert them in your own writings. The three most vital steps on the path to reading like a writer are questioning, considering, and deciding.

Hall 8 Works Cited

Bunn, Mike "How to Read like a Writer." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing 2011. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. 71-86. Print.

Hall 9