Good writers are generally good readers first. Here are some very basic tricks to get you thinking.
PRE-READING
Scan the text you are about to read before you start.
Notice how the text is placed on the page, the units it is
offered in (paragraphs, sections, etc.)
If it’s paragraphs: how big are they, how many per page?
Are their section titles? Chapters?
Scan the language itself: does it seem dense, simple?
How long is the text?
How will you tackle it?
Is there a bibliography? Footnotes?
Are there scenes? If so, how long are they? How many?
Studies show that in pre-reading, the mind prepares to
receive the information you are about to consume, opening up sufficient space,
opening files to organize, etc.
ACTIVE READING
Writers are active readers. They read with a pencil in hand,
ready to circle, underline, scribble in the margin. They note the end of a
scene, a well wrought sentence, a word they want to look up.
They summarize sections.
They describe conflict, characters, sometimes plotting
through with different coloured pens to note the arc of characters...
They note language, vocabulary.
They look up words they don’t know, or want to think about
more.
They note prose style: what is the average sentence like? Is
the language itself important, a character? Or is it more pedestrian, functioning to move plot along?
They ask questions of the text, and themselves.
Is this a literary text, or a genre text?
Is this a literary text, or a genre text?
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