Reading Through the Eyes of a Writer - Guest Post written by Ria Majumdar

When Ria Majumdar suggested she write a piece about how writers read as a guest post I jumped at the chance. While T.T.P. doesn't typically wander into this territory, she's done a great job at capturing why I found myself keeping this blog in the first place. But that's enough from me. Frankly speaking, Ria does a better job explaining it then I ever could.   

We all love reading books. If that had not been the case then you wouldn’t be hanging around on a blog that deals with book reviews, unless of course, you are stalking me…

But have you ever read a book that was so good, I mean, so insanely out-of-this-world that it left an imprint on your brain? In fact was the book so exhilarating that it sparked the urge to write something similarly extraordinary in you? An urge that didn’t let you rest since that day so badly that you have been churning out one crap story after another in pursuit of that golden story that would land you in the ranks of that one book that changed your life?

Well, if you have experienced this (like me with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) then congratulations, you are a writer.

Writers have always been voracious readers. We read, cry over the fact that we aren’t good enough, and read more. Well, the cycle can be crueler with you tearing up your manuscript after finishing a particularly awesome book because you realized that your writing sucks big time.

Anyway, this is how a writer reads:-

1. Goes to a book shop and browses through the volumes until their flying fingers land upon a book that “calls to them” (read: has an amazing cover and that’s why drew attention). Yup, they say don’t judge a book by its cover but don’t we all do just that?
2. Turns the book over and reads the blurb. If it sounds intriguing then turns to the first page and reads a few paragraphs.
3. Stops reading because they are getting hooked and realize that their own manuscript at home is a crappy excuse for a novel.
4. Reads the quotes of authors and magazine editors who read the book and found it hot and happening and imagines their own book described in such mushy terms, then frowns as the suspicion that maybe these people were paid to write such good stuff clouds their mind.
5. Hushes the sarcastic insights and buys the book.
6. Reads it in one sitting if it’s good and cries over how crappy their manuscript is.
   
   
   OR 
   
   
   Reads the book halfway and laughs at the contents if it’s bad. Then feels overjoyed that they are really, really, really good at writing until their family turns up to beat out the enthusiasm. (We are woefully misunderstood folk.)
   
   
7. Repeats process… on an e-reader now because we are all modern, aren’t we? 

So that’s how we writers read, petting the green cat of jealousy as we enjoy the magic woven in words.

How do you read? Ever felt the spark I was talking about earlier? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author:-

Ria Majumdar is a writer, reader, blogger and undergraduate dentist. She loves her library, which is currently overflowing with books and thinks it’s too weird to write about her own self in third person. So hi, if you want to read more of what I write, feel free to jump over to my blog The Spyglassviewer (http://spyglassviewer.wordpress.com) and enjoy some of my dry humor!