Learning from Other Writers
Have you ever read a book, and marvelled at how the author used words to create a sense of place and emotion that made you want to read that line again?
You might think, “Can I write like that?”
In Bad Choices Make Good Stories: Conversations About Writing, Erin Dionne handles the topic of mentor texts. She writes, “There are a couple of ways to use mentor texts. The first is straightforward: Choose a book that you like that is similar to yours in genre, or theme, or audience… and read it (or reread it as the case may be).” She says to look for the element that inspires you and that you want to learn from. Is it how she opens a chapter or closes it, or how she crafts the plot?
Erin also mentions that if you own a copy of a book you like, take a lesson from your school days and mark up the text. Reading the book is a good start, but making notes in the margins, adding sticky notes, or even highlighting sentences can help you find what you’re looking for quickly.
When Erin led a Highlights workshop leader in 2022, I found her approachable and compassionate too. She has been where I am, trying to write a specific genre. She has been there too, writing, rewriting, learning from others. Also as a member of a critique group. She has become successful as a middle grade writer.
I started by reading her books for enjoyment. Then I figure out just what I can learn from her. After all, a good student begins with imitation and then, with increasing confidence, moves on to figuring out their own style.
As a writer and storyteller, I have learned first through studying how others do something and then trying it myself. While my subjects and stories will be my own, I can apply what I have learned from my “instructors.”
Remember that no writer is an overnight success and you can learn from other writers by reading.
Find a mentor text, or more than one, and see what you can learn. It may not be the same experience as attending a writer’s conference, but it’s a good study on your own with authors whose work inspires you.