Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them - by Francine Prose, 2006
A highly rated book that teaches the wanna-be writer how to write through careful, slow, and analytical reading. Chapters treat the nuts and bolts of writing (words, sentences, paragraphs) as well as issues of craft (narration, character, dialogue), all of which Prose discusses using story or novel excerpts. This is where the book truly shines; Prose is remarkably egalitarian in choosing fiction exemplars from David Gates to Chekhov. Prose insists that “literature not only breaks the rules, but makes us realize that there are none,” and urges writers to re-read the classics (Chekhov, especially) and view “reading as something that might move or delight you.” Prose’s guide to reading and writing belongs on every writer’s bookshelf alongside E.M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel.
Posted by beanybabe at 8:22 PM PST
