Reading like a writer

I love to read. I think most writers do and some say it's sort of a mandatory thing.

But as my writing career grew, I noticed how I read changed. While I still love to read, I find it almost impossible to turn the writer off.

Now I'm not talking how-to write books but I do read those. My two favorites are -

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
How I write: Secrets of A Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich


What's the difference? How I look/view/analysis the story.  Now there are a ton of 'help' articles that tell you what you 'should' look for as a writer in reading, but hey why would I follow those rules? And besides, I believe this process is as individual as the writing.

Sometimes, I read specific books for 'help' in crafting a certain element. Please note: I do NOT read to copy. I read to see how the authors did it. I usually aim for three different authors and they will not handle it the same way because no one writes the same. And as writers and readers aren't we glad!

For example, if I'm struggling to develop a scene that involves a bomber I would look up books that have these scenes. I would note how the authors developed/led into the bomb scene. How much 'technology' did they include, etc. I use it as a bouncing board again NOT to copy.

The four things I note in every book I read because these are things I focus on in my own writing is:

1. How does the author introduce character description. Especially clothes. Because honestly, I have to add this on my second or third draft until then everyone is nude. I mean I know I don't have to include every outfit the reader will assume the character has clothes on but at some point I've been told the  reader needs confirmation that my characters aren't a bunch of nudist. :-p

Now how can this NOT be in a story...

A perfect place to commit murder!

A portal to another world, I swear

2. Settings. While I don't struggle with this like the clothes thing, actually it's the opposite I love settings. Almost too much. If you've read my other blog post here or on my blog or follow me on social media you know I love to post pictures of my world. So while my characters are nude, the reader will know about the log with really cool fungus on it. So I note this more as how much to include because again I've been told that not everyone finds fungus cool! 0_0

Isn't this cool??????

3. How does the character grow.  I think is just a standard thing for readers or writers as readers. We all read with the expectation that the character will grow.

4. Were there any surprises? In the plot or with the character. I don't mean the secret child type of thing but the type of thing that makes you sit back and look for a doughnut so you can process it. And if there is - a) does it work? b) why or why not.

What just happened!!!!!

Those are the things I look for as a reader who is a writer. Do you have certain things you look for as you read?

And here is one of my favorite reading spots:

What are yours?

Until next month! Enjoy reading!!!

Contemporary Settings: In the Here and “How”

As an author whose first love is mystery/suspense, I keep scenery description to a minimum. Thus the imagery I include on the page has to carry a lot of impact. While the locale doesn’t have to be Rio de Janeiro exciting, any setting information must be pertinent to the plot and more than “just a little” interesting.

I don’t typically set contemporary stories in a place I’ve never been. Why? Because when it comes to scenery, I need to “feel” the location before I can write about the place. Sure, I could easily Google any place on Earth. There are millions of pictures, videos, and detailed descriptions; all the information a writer could want. Only you can’t smell a JPEG. Nor can you can’t sense the hustle and bustle of a city by reading a street map. I can get into my character’s head without ever meeting her, but I need to actually plant my feet in the place she lives to portray the setting vividly.

Even when I set  a scene in a place I’ve visited before, I like to return to the scene of the crime. For example, when I decided to have my heroine experience a scary encounter on Chimney Rock in North Carolina, I took a hike—literally. I absorbed the details and incorporated the majestic views into the scene:

She hobbled outside and across the wooden walkway, heading toward the clear-span bridge leading to the chimney. The scent of pine intertwined with pure, fresh air rushed into her lungs and displaced her wooziness. The spectacle of the mountain backlit with bright blue skies almost made her forgot she had to get in the same elevator for her return trip.

There’s more to the story—plot. I spotted a shadowy figure in the Opera Box (a ledge in the side of the mountain) that inspired another scene.  I also discovered a really cool niche—perfect for hiding the body in my next book.

Do I ever use fictional places in my contemporary stories?  Absolutely. In my upcoming Holiday novella, The Christmas Tree Wars, the town of Merryvale does not exist—not to my knowledge anyway. Still, it isn’t really fictional.

I incorporated parts of Concord, MA, Burlington, VT, and a little of three North Carolina towns--Concord, Asheville, and Boone--to create my fictional backdrop.

For my non-contemporary novels, I do make up places. My fantasy novels are set on a different planet. I haven't been there. Honestly. J

 

Robin Weaver

Author of Blue Ridge Fear, Artifact of Death, & The Secret Language of Leah Sinclair