Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

I am reading Crime and Punishment. It’s a good chance to devour a classic, but it’s also sort of a self-imposed assignment. You see, just over a year ago, I returned to a reading regimen.

This is something I did for a few years in the ‘90s as part of my writing schedule. Like many other writers, I’m a firm believer in the idea that to be a good writer you must be a good reader.

I’ve always enjoyed reading and do so anyway, but including the activity in my regimen ensures I make time for it. At least most days.

It goes something like this: I select either a classic written work or a recent, even current, best-seller to read, alternating from book to book. When I finish reading the book, I sit down and write out a couple of pages of information regarding the work, including character development, storyline and literary devices.

I evaluate why the book was successful and what did or did not work for me. I also list the publisher, date published and, in the case of recent best-sellers, I check acknowledgments for mention of an agent. All of this helps me look more carefully at the work, and some of the information, such as the publisher and agent, give me leads on places and people who handle specific types of writing, maybe mine.

Some might think this takes the fun out of reading, and that might be the case for others. That is not the case for me.

This regimen enhances my reading experience by giving it a whole new dimension. For some it would feel like homework, but for me it feels like embracing the craft. It doesn’t hurt that I know it benefits me as a writer.

How, you might ask, does it benefit me as a writer? Whether I like a book or not, I can study the elements that made it succeed or fail. I can discover techniques or devices I might employ while noting others I’ll want to avoid.

Because of this regimen I have given myself the opportunity to read classics I’ve missed during my life. While I did read quite a bit in high school and college, there have always been some works I never got around to.

And then there is the chance to read recent best-sellers. Discovering new voices and storytellers I might enjoy is not unlike a treasure hunt.

I might not get to everything I want to read, but I’m enjoying the chance to try.

So here I am reading Crime and Punishment. Can War and Peace be too far behind?