Key Terms and Main Ideas

-Read like a writer (RLW): Identify choices author made so as to make better choices in own writing

-While reading, think about how the choices the author made affect you as a reader

-“Would you want to try this technique in your own writing”

-Two ways to read (Allen Tate): Origin and development (historians) vs. construction (architects)

-Consider context around reading and assignment (historical, audience, purpose, etc.)

-Consider genre (the type of writing) before setting expectations

-Consider published vs. student-produced (think about improvements for both)

-Is writing you are reading a model for what you will be assigned to write later?

-Think of what you sympathize with as you read

-Consider the effectiveness of language (formality, style, voice)

-Consider evidence provided- statistics, stories, citations, etc.

-Look at where you get confused/tripped up while reading to avoid making similar choices/mistakes in your own writing

-It is helpful when reading like a writer to highlight, underline, and write in the margins of the text

-Pay attention to what influences your expectations

-Replace some vocabulary in the text in your head to see how it affects you as a reader

Summary

In an essay titled “How to Read Like a Writer”, written for the essay collection Writing Spaces: Readings on Writings, author Mike Bunn establishes a novel technique he recommends students use in order to write with clarity and consciousness. Bunn calls the technique “reading like a writer”, or RLW. The RLW method dictates that as students read, they carefully consider the choices the author made and the techniques they used, such as vocabulary, formality of language, audience, credibility, and genre. From this, the student can improve their own writing after seeing how the techniques and choices another writer made affect them as readers.  

Analysis

In the final few paragraphs of “How to Read Like a Writer”, Mike Bunn goes back to use his ‘Reading Like a Writer’ technique on the beginning of his own essay. He pointed out his word choices, such as “antiquated” and “performance”, how he subtly established his credibility in mentioning he was writing about a job after college, and pointed out how his choice of references were used to connect with readers.

In my own experience reading the beginning of the essay, I found it refreshing that the author shared a personal anecdote to begin with instead of keeping a cold, scholarly formality. It delivered to me an enthusiasm to read what I would have otherwise predicted to be a droll article. Similarly, the musical theatre aspect gave me an instant connection to the author, establishing the bond of the theatre nerds. It is a smart author who establishes that he might belt out I Dreamed a Dream with me in a karaoke bar.

Using the ‘Reading Like a Writer’ technique on Bunn’s own article was a smart decision made to establish the effectiveness and credibility of the technique. Bunn showed that the technique was easily applicable, and that he thought it worth using. From using the technique myself on the article, among other things I realized the importance of establishing a bond with one’s audience, and the importance of knowing who you are writing for.