Member Reviews
‘How To Read Like a Writer’ by Erin M Pushman is a non fiction book that looks at how you can read like a writer.
Very technical in nature and more like a textbook than a book to read for leisure.
Well researched.
Interesting and helpful book that is perfect for fiction writers in particular, It's a bit nebulous imo, but worth dipping into.
I was initially excited to learn how to read like a writer. However, I found that the lessons for non-fiction writing was somewhat limited. I personally like to create instruction guides, op-eds, and news articles. There weren't any exercises for people who write within these genres. I do think that mentioning a wide variety of genres is incredibly useful. This book is more suited towards writers who primarily write in fictional genres and poets. I think there is some use for non-fiction writers but I would caution reading this book and pick apart a book, article, or blog post that is better to read in your time.
this was an interesting book, but i didn't find it all that useful, despite being an author and PhD student studying creative writing. I was hopeing for something more advanced than this actually is.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC to review. I found this very helpful for myself, as an aspiring writer and an avid reader.
This book is a fantastic resource for a budding writer who loves to read. It turns reading into an active and fascinating process, which undoubtedly helps build the confidence needed to put ones' own story to paper. I would highly recommend this book to my clients who are interested in branching out and developing their creativity.
Filled with great advice for writers on how to engage differently with texts and transform reading habits.
Full of clever details and genuinely helpful advice, this book made me a better reader and a better writer. It's also brilliantly written and funny.
The first step to becoming a successful writer is to become a successful reader. Helping you develop your critical skills How to Read Like a Writer is an accessible and effective step-by-step guide to how careful reading can help you improve your craft as a creative writer, whatever genre you are writing in.
Across 10 lessons – each pairing published readings with practical critical and creative exercises – this book helps writers master such key elements of their craft as:
· Genre – from fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry to hybrid genres such as graphic narratives and online forms
· Plot, conflict, theme and image
· Developing characters – physical descriptions, psychological depths and actions
· Narrators and points of view – 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narratives
· Scenes and settings – time, space and place
· Structure and form – length, organization and media
· Language, subtext and style
Definitely a must-have for any serious writer.
I consider my self a seasoned writer, but am always trying to improve, and so thought this could be a useful read, and so it turned out to be, to some degree. If I was new to writing I would say this book is ideal for the beginner; it is instructive and utilises the included texts well to guide you through a number complex topics. My only criticism is that after a while I started to get bored reading the same example passages, a bit more variety would have suited me, but may not have been practical.
How to Read Like a Writer: 10 Lessons to Elevate Your Reading and Writing Practice by Erin M. Pushman is an amazing resource for writers. It is like a writer coming alongside you and showing you how it works. The author has organized ten important lessons that conclude with things for the reader to do, including works to read and writing prompts to try. I highly recommend this book to anyone who want to learn more about writing. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
This book is a thorough, academic read. It's not what I was expecting, but that's on me. I would recommend anyone who wants to improve their writing (or reading) to take a chance on this book. Just....know that it's not a quick or casual read.
A wonderfully thorough primer on creative writing and its relationship to reading critically. This will be an especially helpful book for creative writing students to gain a foundation for the craft of reading as a writer. Erin Pushman writes in a clear and easy-to-follow style, offering a careful examination of the major genres taught in creative writing classes: fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for allowing access to an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I am approaching this book as someone who is not necessarily a writer. I am a person who often writes, however, and I would love to get better. One of the key things I was hoping to learn about from this book was how to analyze books from different perspectives, especially those which are coming from the ground up to speak. In my view, learning how writers see their content helps bridge a gap between reader and author. I think this book was fine for someone like me who isn't necessarily a professional or hopeful professional. It presented some interesting information in an accessible way. I liked the idea and the execution. The cover is just fine; the title and summary sell the book for me.
How to Read Like a Writer is a solid primer on teaching readers how to read like a writer. It breaks down the various aspects of writing into digestible chunks and includes some brilliant exercises to reinforce the lessons in each chapter.
But with the average reader priced out of the market and an academic writer not requiring a book to teach them how to read like a writer, who is How to Read Like a Writer actually aimed at? It’s not entirely apparent.
And yet, whilst it’s a little repetitive in parts, Pushman’s book is undoubtedly a useful point of reference for those looking to improve their writing craft.
Insightful, Practical…
How crucially careful reading can improve your skills as a writer, across ten interesting lessons. Each lesson pairs readings with practical exercises. Each one is quite different and varied in approach. A useful, insightful and very practical guide.
A formally written book, with several lessons. For me, I could gain the most from this learning novel when I grasped the way in which it was written. Very educational book with many things to learn, but in my opinion, you must be ready to learn and take part in each of the lessons to get the most from this book in the writing craft genre.
This is one I will keep on hand to refer back to and participate again and again in the lessons so that I can continue to learn and grow as a writer.
I found this book really useful, with a lot of practical, sensible advice and information. I used to enjoy creating stories as a child and it's something I would like to get back into as an adult, but there is always a an excuse or another reason not to get around to it! I enjoy reading all kinds of books and the love of a good story has never left me - learning how to read more like a writer has helped me to understand better how a good story is created and put together. It's given me the confidence to start putting pen to paper again myself, trusting in the process and seeing where it takes me - this book will continue to be a handy reference guide along the way.
Ok so this book is so much more in depth than I would have imagined which is great! It covers so many different aspects of reading like a writer and is the perfect book for making you are better reader and writer!
How to Read Like a Writer set out exactly as the book title indicatIes n 10 lessons the book lists the various styles of writing and offers tips and tricks for would be writers to develop writing skiils of their own. The author is a Professor of English who has made valuable contributions in her work to those who wish to improve their writing and reading skills. It serves as a useful companion to those who with to improve their reading and writing skills, be it long-form journalism, short stories or even 140 character Twitter posts.
I am very grateful to have had a copy to review,