How to Read as a Writer: Mark the Page, Practice Close Reading

To mark the page is to engage with the book we are reading by taking notes, highlighting passages, or annotating our responses in the margins. We take note not only of what stands out but why it does. As we copy those striking quotations, we also ask why they caught our attention in the first place. And we must understand why we are impressed with a rhythm, imagery, or word choice.

Marking the Page & Reading Intentionally

Writing well is a result of intentional reading. When we are reading as a writer we are not merely following a storyline, rather, we are also dissecting the language, noticing its subtleties, and underlining the author's style. We are constantly marking pages and close reading to analyze writings at their granular level.

When we highlight sentences that move us, underscore metaphors that give us a feeling, and put a star next to dialogue that sounds authentic, we create a map of our style choices. When we take note of how authors break the rules of writing and how it works in their favor, we are accumulating a toolkit that informs our writing.

Identifying Patterns in the Author’s Work

Suppose we’re reading Joan Didion, an author celebrated for her distinctive style. Didion’s sentences are often stark and understated. This is a deliberate style and not a happenstance. Joan Didion knows how her particular way of writing gives her an authentic voice. Her sparse descriptions mentor us in understatement and offer insights on choosing details that will leave something in the reader's imagination. As we mark the page of her minimalist prose, we pay attention to her ellipses, cryptic sentences, and close-ups of everyday details. We dissect how she achieves such powerful effects with a seemingly simple text devoid of embellishments.

Close Reading the Author’s Craft

From marking the pages, close reading advances our analysis. In close reading, we examine the structure, dissect paragraphs, and analyze sentence flow. We focus on syntax, diction, punctuation, and even white space—to understand how they contribute to the overall prose effect.

Virginia Woolf's long, flowing sentences explore the inner workings of her characters' minds. Her evocative imagery, shifting perspectives, and a focus on the passage of time are fluid and introspective. How she uses repetition, symbolism, and shifts in time and perspective shows us a way to capture memory and consciousness.

Close reading allows us to see an author’s choices in action, making us aware of how language can shape tone and mood.

Mimicking Style to Find Our Voice

Our reading as writers enables entry to various writing styles for study and emulation. Every writer starts with some form of mimicry. We use an author's method as a jumping-off point for our writing to stretch and expand our capabilities.

When we clip the minimalist style of Joan Didion or the flowing, descriptive language of Virginia Woolf, we are emulating their ways of sharpening focus. They lead us to discard extraneous expressions and add more depth to our descriptions. We learn how to choose the elements that will resonate and the language techniques that keep the story flowing organically.

Merging Voices and Styles

Being authentic doesn’t mean avoiding influence but merging these influences. In our intentional marking of the pages, we synthesize the elements of writing that resonate most deeply with our creative process. Our life experiences, values, and emotions will be filtered through the hybrid styles learned from master storytellers. This does not overshadow our unique perspective and nuanced experiences. But everything we mark on the page will transform our writing to what is uniquely ours.

Reading as Writers

When we read as writers, we do not merely admire another writer’s skills, but analyze them, too. When we mark the page, close-read, and imitate, we dive into the deep study of the mechanics of the craft.

Reading as writers is an endless dialogue with the great texts of our time. In close reading and marking the page, we become absorbed with what works, we learn to discard what does not resonate, and we grow to establish our authentic voice.