monday
— if you want to become a better reader, you should consider starting reading like a writer.
this weekend, I’ve reread Francine Prose’s READING LIKE A WRITER. every time I read this book, I have new interesting insights and ideas. and it reminds me of good reading habits for me as a writer.
but I came to think that the simple steps shown in this book should not be limited to writers. reading like a writer does not mean just reading to become a better writer, it also means leveraging good writers’ reading habits to become a better reader as well.
that, by the way, is the core of this feed, hence why I call it a writer’s bookstagram.
now, the book revolves around two main ideas: close reading and analytical reading. meaning, reading with intention and observing the use of words, their role in sentences, the role of sentences in paragraphs, and how the author decided to convey their message or explore a theme in their writing. for a better experience, Francine suggests we slow down and digest every word we can.
you have to admit. even if you don’t use that to learn how to write better, you are definitely going to improve your reading experience by adopting such a mindful yet so simple process.
tuesday
— pause.
i’m reading “purgatory” by dante alighieri. at a café, having a latte and a cheese puff (pão de queijo). in a few minutes, i’ll be in the office. so here are three things i need to tell you today:
one — my substack publication is active again. I just shared a post there
two — i’m doing 3 posts a week thing, but i’ll give another chance for reels, as i‘m giving another chance to lowercase writing
three — if you haven’t read today yet, pick some time to read, even if it’s just a few sentences of that novel you’ve been reading for months. do it for yourself.
wednesday
— we have to talk about dante…
you know how fond i am of classics. but since homer and his illiad, i’ve been having some issues with epic poems and all those cantos. the problem is that there’s too much allegory, too much name-dropping, and an extremely boring pace for the reader’s experience.
i know. i sound dumb and like a gen y or gen z stereotype. or so you might think. you might also try to tell me i’m too young to understand, or that I’m an idiotic iconoclast, or rather that i simply don’t understand the work of this amazing italian poet.
believe me. i do understand. yes, he’s amazing. and yes, i know how difficult and marvelous his work is. but i can’t just sit here like a subject of the emperor’s, looking at his body parts and forcing myself to believe he’s wearing clothes.
the empire is long gone, and the new republic is here to stay.
the truth is that this style worked in the past very well, but it doesn’t work anymore now. the writing craft has evolved. and it is my duty as a writer and reader to tell you, it’s okay if you feel bored and lost in the work of dante. don’t be ashamed to admit you don’t like it. part of our community here will eat you alive and call you names, but the other part will feel relieved.
i keep reading the purgatorio and i will read paradiso to finish this bittersweet project.
friday
— it’s not because you don’t like the style of a book or the whole book that you can’t extract something interesting from it. that, my friends, is what differentiates ordinary mortal readers from true writers, who read with a writer’s mindset.
i’ll tell you what happens. take a look at this part of purgatorio:
the heavens cry to you,
and all around your
stubborn souls, wheel
their eternal glory, and
yet you keep your eyes
fixed on the ground
in my love-and-hate relationship with this work, i found a few gems. one of them being that reminder: sometimes, we miss out on spiritual or higher aspects of life that could give us a deeper understanding or a greater sense of purpose, because we’re too focused on the small stuff and the earthly concerns.
but when we broaden our horizons and look beyond what’s right in front of us, that’s when we ascend to heavenly matters. that’s when we open the doors for higher things.
today i’m reaching to the final part of this purgatorio, dante’s final book in the divine comedy: paradiso. wish me luck. i’m starting it today. and by the end of this read, i hope to ascend to the heavens.
saturday
— how to read like a writer.
i want to intensify this habit around here. and help you build it for you. i want it to be our essence, you know? reading like a writer. even if you’re not a writer.
yea, francine prose wrote “reading like a writer” because she realized that by reading closely and with intention and purpose she was able to improve her writing. but the truth is, like said a few days ago, her method turns reading into a completely different experience. a better one.
but how do we do that?
well, if i’d summarize the book into “habit blocks”, i’d say:
first — read slowly. focus on absorbing what you read. read closely, and feel the words in your mind. feel they reverberating, resonating, and making sense to you somehow.
second — build your reading outwards. or zoom out. read the words. then understand those words make. then observe how those sentences work in a paragraph and then the role of each paragraph. then look at the whole thing, the whole writing.
third — in that whole, you’ll find literary devices, the narrator, the characters, the style, a story. then the purpose of the story, its themes, and its messages and its contexts. leading to reflection.
fourth — think about it. reflect. think about what resonated to you, what was triggered in your mind. think about the way the author built the story and everything that all that represents.
even if you don’t use it to improve your writing. you’ll improve your reading. by reading like a writer, or rather, by reading like a person who wants to extract something from the books, instead of just being passively flooded with words just for the sake of reading, you’ll reach such a beautiful state of mind where you’ll notice that reading is not just a habit, nor just a skill. reading is a tool. a powerful tool. for you to become a better human.
☕️ now tell me, what resonated more with you? and what went well and how would it be even better…?
extra
this week i started adopting bauhaus designer herbert bayer’s universal alphabet. in other words, i’m testing how long i can keep writing everything in lowercase. it’s hard, i’m not gonna lie. but it’s also liberating. he said: “we write everything in small letters.as we save time. also: why 2 alphabets if one achieves the same? why capitalize, if you can’t speak big?
how do you feel about that?