Challenge Yourself to Read Intensely

31-Day Ninja Writer Challenge 2019: Day Two

This post is part of the 31 Day Ninja Writer Challenge. If you’d like to see all of the challenges in this series, see this post.

One of my favorite writing quotes comes from Ray Bradbury:

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.”

Perfect advice from a master.

Yesterday we talked about writing every day.

Today I want to talk about reading intensely.

To me, reading intensely means reading like a writer. Looking at what works and what doesn’t, and figuring out why. Paying attention to things like tense and point of view and style and voice and pacing.

If a book pulls you through so that you don’t even really have a choice about staying up until three in the morning reading it, ask yourself why.

If you find yourself reading a book a paragraph at a time because you just can’t read more, even though you want to, ask yourself why.

If you read a few chapters of a book, come to a stopping point, and then never pick it up again — you know what I’m going to say. Ask yourself why.

Pay attention to things like the way an author can make you feel like you’ve been to a place with their descriptive narrative, or the way you sometimes feel like you know a character.

If you put a book down fifty pages in and never come back, pay attention to that, too.

Definitely spend this month developing the habit of reading like a writer — but also just read. Read for pleasure. It’s important. I’m just going to come right out and say that the easiest way I know to make sure this gets done is to keep a book in the bathroom. I mean, you’re sitting there anyway. Read a few pages.

Also, if you don’t already have Audible, download it for free for a month today. You’ll be able to listen to two books — totally free. Use that for this challenge.

Stephen King says that if you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or tools to write. He also says that we have to learn to read in sips (like a few minutes of an audio book on your way to work) as well as long swallows, so this month let’s start a habit of reading intensely for at least a few minutes every single day.

This is also a good time to consider the practice of keeping a reading journal. I made a Read Like a Writer printable for you. Fill out this form and I’ll send it to your inbox:

ASSIGNMENT TWO

Pick a book to read like a writer this month.

Start your free month of Audible.

Download the Read Like a Writer worksheet.

If you don’t already have a notebook, get one. Any notebook will do. (If you want one from our shop, you can get a discount code here.) Open it and label a page with the book’s title. As you read, write down quotes that strike you. Make notes as you read about the technical aspects of the book (point of view, tense, etc.) and the way it makes you feel as you’re reading it. Train yourself to read with a notebook.

Make a commitment to read for at least ten minutes a day through the rest of this challenge. Ideally, you’ll read at least one book all the way through.

Come over to Facebook and let us know which book you’re going to read!

Also, don’t forget to write for at least 10 minutes today.

If you’d like to see all of the challenges in this series, see this post.

There will be a new challenge every day in May. Want the rest of them in your email inbox? Join our mailing list below!

Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter @shauntagrimes and is the original Ninja Writer.

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