Interactive Reading as a Writer

"Look at things as a writer and all will turn out well."  Anton Chekhov

When reading, keep a pen handy so you can write and interact with the text. Ask questions and make notes in the margins. Read the work aloud.

Read to discover what the text might become.  Highlight pivotal passages or recurring images; locating the underlying, organic structure.  Find the focus or center. Look for "vibration points" and "pressure points."

1.  What is the writer's relationship to the subject? 

2. Pay attention to how the text means, not what. Discuss the shape, pattern, rhythm, voice of the story.  Abandon the lit-crit model for approaching a text.

3.  How does the opening paragraph gain the reader’s attention or establish a relationship with the reader?  Where would you begin?

4.  Which details best illustrate the main idea of the story?

5.  What happens in the middle to keep the reader moving forward?

6.   How does the writer use dramatic or comic scenes to keep the reader’s interest?

7.   How does the conclusion leave the reader?  Does it present a solution? Does it leave the ending to the reader's imagination?

8.   How does the author use figurative language or sensory imagery to engage the reader? (Use of metaphor or simile, sight, sound, touch, smell, taste)

9.   Once Chekhov observed that a book did not achieve its effect with him.  He said, "After I read it I was still the same person."  As a writer, have you changed by reading the work in question?  Did it stay with you?

10.   Comment on the pace of the story. Should it speed up or slow? Do the transitions move smoothly?

11.    Discuss verb choices. Do active verbs drive the story? Is the “to be” verb evident too often? 

12.   Does the writer experiment or take risks?  Is this effective or distracting?

13.  Does the writer transfer knowledge (report information) or share experience? Does the narrative mix information and explanation rather than provide an imaginative experience for the reader? Do facts remain separate elements or weave into the story’s fabric?

14. Comment on the sentence structure and patterns (simple or complex) and paragraphing (long and short). How do the sentences flow?  Does the writer use a mix of short and long sentences? How does this assist with the readability of the text?

15.  How does the author use cadence?  Do you find a rhythm in the words? Do the sentences build excitement or create urgency? Do you feel influenced by the pace and mood?