How to Read Like a Writer

Learning the art of reading like a writer is one of the most valuable skills an author can develop. When you read this way, you pay attention not only to the story but to the craft behind it—the choices a novelist makes in structure, character, point of view, pacing, dialogue, theme, and more.

While we already know you love to read for enjoyment’s sake, putting your writer hat on when you pick up a book can turn those quiet moments into a masterclass. Whether you’re diving into a beloved classic or a brand-new bestseller, writing coach Mahsuda Snaith will guide you through the art of recognizing how and why stories are built the way they are, offering five practical tips to sharpen your eye.

Once you’ve trained yourself to spot the techniques that make fiction truly sing, you can bring those insights straight into your own writing—and we can’t wait to see what you create next.

The magic of telling stories

Before you become a writer, you must be a reader. If you don’t have a passion for books, then you’ll always be lacking in what it takes to be great at storytelling—but loving books in itself won’t necessarily unlock the gates of the writing world for you.

There’s a trick to telling stories (let’s call it a magic trick) that allows a reader to get lost in the pages and go along for the ride. And, like any budding magician, you need to see the nuts and bolts of how a trick works to be able to pull it off yourself. Unlike a budding magician, however, you don’t need to join The Magic Circle to learn the tricks of this trade. All you need is books (and maybe this blog)!

How to read like a writer: 5 top tips

Coming up are my top tips for reading like a writer, along with some inspiring words and ideas from the team at The Novelry, and exercises to get you practicing your skills so you too can weave a spell on the reader with your great writing.

1. Reverse-engineer your reading

A perfect way to start reading like a writer is by using books you’ve read. You will have already experienced the “reading for pleasure” stage, so you can now switch your mind to being analytical.

At The Novelry, we recommend our writers choose a Hero Book to study as they write. Just ten minutes of deep reading a day can really help a writer learn to unpick the choices of great works, thereby getting a sense of how and why they keep readers turning the page.

As writer-readers in the internet age, we have developed the skill of super reading—we can read fast, and skim and decode at speed. But with the Hero Book and books you love, slow down. What are writers you admire doing at the paragraph, sentence, and word level?
—Piers Torday

Look for key moments

When I’m studying a book, I pause whenever I feel a strong emotion. If I stop because I’m utterly shocked, I look back at what the writer did to create that shock. When I am floored by a beautiful sentence, I look back at what I found so stunning about that particular string of words. Then I take notes on what I’ve learned.

What keeps you reading? What are you curious about? What is pulling you back in—character, setting, plot? If you get bored, why?
—Amanda Reynolds

Reading as a writer requires you to take a step back as you read, and reverse-engineer your responses.

Exercise 1

Read the opening of a novel. How does it make you feel? What specific word choices, metaphors, or story structure has the writer used to make you feel that way? Note these down.

{{blog-banner-13="/blog-banners"}}

2. Question what works (and what doesn’t)

Just as important as focusing on what a writer did to immerse you in their story is examining what they did to take you out of it. Perhaps they used punctuation in a way that made it a bit difficult to get through a sentence, or a cliché that made you roll your eyes (“Did he really just use that line?”). Whether it draws you in or pulls you out, the choices an author makes can be your greatest teacher.

Analyzing writing styles

So much of writing is about choices—from the precise word, to the rhythm, to the scene, to the entry and exit points, and the overarching story. So, ask yourself: why this and not that? And why is this or that so effective? And if it isn’t, why not?
—Emylia Hall

Exercise 2

Look at the half-finished books on your bookshelf or in your Kindle or audiobook library. From memory, note down three reasons why you stopped reading them. Next, look at your well-thumbed novels, and note down three reasons why they were such great reads.

3. Read book blurbs to examine structure

When a writer is struggling to summarize their novel, either in a synopsis or in a hook, I often recommend they read the blurbs of books similar to theirs to see how it’s done.

What parts of the story have been emphasized? If you’ve already read the book and know the story, what parts have been left out? Why?

How great writers lay out a story

Analyzing narrative structure is a great way of picking apart exactly how the writer has weaved their magic, and you can then apply those lessons to your own writing.

Open the book at the middle and see if you can find the midpoint. How does the story change after this point? Can you identify what the inciting incident is? Hopefully, this will give you the confidence to then be able to see structure more clearly in your own work.
—Libby Page

Exercise 3

Pick one of your favorite novels. Try to write a paragraph describing what happens in the book. Now look at its blurb. Did the publishers pick up on the same points? If not, why do you think they highlighted the points they did?

4. Read across genres

Reading across genres is a simple and great way to broaden your creative writing skills, and yet it’s one that can often be overlooked. It’s easy to be interested in one or two main genres, but imagine what more you could learn if you chose a book from outside the box.

Almost all my reading choices are based on me thinking, unconsciously or otherwise, “Can I learn something from this story that will inspire and improve me as a writer?” If I don’t admire a book, I lose patience very quickly—but that admiration can take numerous forms, from an airport-style thriller for its pace and plotting, to a quiet literary novel for the quality of its sentences or way of seeing.
—Emylia Hall

Reading as writing practice

As well as reading across genres, reading non-fiction craft books can be a great way of examining the mechanics of story. I highly recommend Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story and Will Storr’s The Science of Storytelling. Both books explore why we, as human beings, love reading and hearing stories on a scientific and evolutionary basis. For more recommendations, try this blog all about the best books on writing.

Exercise 4

Go to the library (or look at your own bookshelves if you already read widely). Read the opening page of a crime, horror, literary, romance, historical, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, or middle-grade children’s book. Add more genres if you want! What do you notice is genre-specific? What is common among all of these? What techniques has the writer used to draw in the reader?

5. Preserve time to read like a reader

As a busy published author, writing coach, and parent, sometimes reading can drop to the bottom of my to-do list. Two years ago, I joined my local book club in the hope that it would get me to read more. It did—but more than this, it got me to enjoy reading again. Without realizing it, I’d become so focused on reading for craft that I’d lost the joy of reading for pleasure.  

Sometimes it’s good to NOT read like a writer. I am also quite strict about protecting some time for reading purely for joy, because it’s my favorite thing and also because it’s a love of reading that first led me to writing. I never want to let that flame burn out!
—Libby Page

Exercise 5

My biggest advice to writers at the end of a first draft is to celebrate when they’ve finished. The writing process can be a lonely endeavor, and only you know how much blood, sweat, and tears you’ve put into your manuscript. Celebrating the wins can really help keep you motivated.

When you hit your next big goal, whether it’s finishing a draft, or finishing your whole novel, or submitting your manuscript to agents, give yourself the gift of some reading-for-pleasure time. I did this the last time I met a deadline by spending a whole morning curled up on my squishy corner sofa with a blanket, a hot chocolate, and a really fun book I’d been dying to read.

That’s right—we writers really do know how to party. 

Reading is magic, and you are the magician

I hope these tips give you some fresh ideas on how to approach reading in a way that will advance your skills from casual reader to scholarly writer. Once you’ve mastered the tricks, remember: the important thing is to use them. Practice what you’ve learned, and if you’d like some extra support along the way, why not sign up to a course with The Novelry for even more tricks of the trade?

Write your novel with personal coaching from Mahsuda Snaith

Join us on a novel writing course at The Novelry, and you can receive expert mentorship and personalized feedback from a prize-winning author like Mahsuda. Find out more about how you can work one-on-one with our encouraging and insightful writing coaches and our professional editing team, and take a step closer to your writing goal.

Wherever you are on your journey as a writer, our novel writing program offers the complete pathway from the idea to “The End.” With personal coaching, live classes, community support, and step-by-step lessons to fit your schedule and inspire you daily, we’ll help you complete your book using our unique one-hour-a-day method. For mentorship from published authors and publishing editors to live—and love—the writer’s life, sign up and start today. The Novelry is the famous fiction writing school that is open to all!