On Craft…
I always preach—and I’m not the only one—to read more than you write. It’s essential to the fabric of your craft. Reading widely helps you sharpen your skills as a writer and also increases your empathy skill, which makes you a better storyteller. Especially if you’re the interviewing sort. While I dive into books with reckless abandon, I’ve realized I never explained how, exactly, one reads like a writer. So, today’s newsletter is all about taking in books with the express desire to learn from them and grow as an artist.
I don’t annotate my novels, but I do annotate poetry at a very granular and gut level. It helps to underline what does and does not work for you in a poem—language, tone, style, and the like. Circle the words you’re enamored with, and remember to read as a fan just as much as you read as a writer. There should never come a point where you find yourself falling out of love with the machinations of language. Annotation helps keep you connected to that love. It also helps give you concrete examples of what you would like to bring back to your own writing. I also recommend a fun pen color—I use green.
When reading fiction, as a nonfiction writer, I focus on narrative structure. How is the writer giving the reader information? This is central to writing a good piece, because context is key, but so is hooking your audience and having them move fluidly through your thoughts. When reading a chunky novel, take note of how it unfolds, what information is presented when, and how disparate parts link up to tell a cohesive story. You should always be striving toward cohesion and smoothness. Remember the musicality of writing, and apply that same concept of rhythm to the way you build your story.
Reading for character also helps as a music writer, when you’re aiming to humanize your subject. Paying special attention to the way an author highlights interiority should help you develop interview questions, profile writing techniques, and more. Watch the way an author gives their characters life, and try to apply that to your pieces, especially the ones made of multiple interviews. How are authors giving voice to a distinct cast? How can you do the same? These are essential questions to keep in mind while thumbing through a book.
If you write personal essays, I highly recommend reading memoirs. Too often—and I am very guilty of this—the personal essay because an exercise in trauma dumping with no real narrative, structure, or arc. A good memoir will feature all the pains of the author, but will also get at something one way or another. Never forget your “Why?” as you write about yourself. As in, “Why am I sharing this and not that? To what end is this share important?” Memoir is a great tool to learn how to write a powerful and purposeful personal essay.
Finally, note what delights you. Reading is a joy, as is writing. While you’re reading, take note of what makes you laugh or smile, or grin at the sheer quality of it. Remember to read for pleasure, and to inject that same pleasure back into your own work. Read for what you admire, and relish in the fact that there’s a high chance people are admiring you right back. Think of books as editors and mentors, and confidants. There’s much to be learned, and it’s all just there waiting for you.