How to Read Like a Writer: Focused Reading Techniques

Many people ask me how reading so frequently has impacted my writing. In this article, I will not only answer this question, but also teach reading techniques. But not just any reading.

Because to write better, you need to read like a writer.

My passion for reading began in a very common way, like many children. Since childhood, my brother and I were addicted to reading the Turma da Mônica comics. This first contact with reading led me to acquire a passion for books and studying.

I was also greatly influenced by the example of my mother, who always loved reading.

Those who love reading do not always develop Vietnam Phone Number Data writing skills, but those who write are necessarily passionate about reading.

It was this passion that made me create my first blog, HC Investimentos, which later led me to create Viver de Blog in 2013.

Two businesses that I built with writing, just as I built my writing skills through them, through articles, sales pages or emails.

It’s been more than 10 years on this journey in the digital market and both writing and reading continue to be part of it because I know how important practice is to continue evolving.

How to read to learn to write
“Like most, perhaps all, writers, I learned to write by writing, and by reading. — Francine Prose”

We learn through examples.

Many writers fear reading while they write so as not to be influenced by the works they are reading, but what could be better than being influenced by great successes?

It is from reading that creation emerges and there are no authors who are not also readers.

We look to other texts for inspiration, learning, and content for our own creations. When you follow the work of someone notable in the field, they will influence what you produce, as you will have material to base yourself on.

Reading texts or books in general is also very beneficial. Remember all those grammar rules that can be difficult to learn? The more you read and see them used, the more natural it will become to remember each one.

It also becomes easier to recognize a section that may have sounded “weird”, because you are already used to a more fluid reading.

Have you ever had trouble choosing synonyms ? Words to connect one sentence or idea with another?

When reading, you constantly have many examples that can help you.

The 4 types of reading of Sertillanges

According to the book “The Cambodia Phone Number Intellectual Life” there are 4 types of reading:

Rest reading: for entertainment or quick information.
Works of fiction and nonfiction with less depth
Short and shallow articles
Short posts
News
Consultation reading: theoretical concepts, less applicable in everyday life.
Manuals
Dictionaries
Academic studies
Researches
Meditation readings: inspire and generate deep reflections.
Poems
Religious books
Philosophical books
Training readings: personal development or technical subjects.
The objective is to acquire knowledge to apply it to solving practical problems.

Both reading for relaxation and reading for meditation do not require as much of our memory. You read fiction books to entertain yourself and even to be inspired, but you do not need to remember every detail, unless you are a fiction writer, who must read novels carefully to discover the secrets behind your favorite stories.

Meditation reading speaks to a non-rational part of our mind, the unconscious.

Reading for reference and training purposes requires your brain to process and store information so that the time invested will yield a return in the future.

And to better remember this information, follow these steps: