This is a great video! Thank you for this. I’m reading Stephen King’s On Writing, and I’ve come to understand the being a wide reader is very crucial to being a writer. He talked about that whenever he writes, he has the image of his Ideal Reader, asking himself, will she love this, will she laugh at this part? I realized that to come up with the image of that ideal reader, we have to look at ourselves first. What do we like reading? What will make us snort? What will make us feel emotions? There’s an unpopular opinion that reading is not a pre requisite to writing, that there are writers who do not read or like reading at all. Instead, they’d rather consume stories in other mediums. It’s not “wrong” though. But since we are writing, and the people who read consume words, we should also know how to construct stories using the language. best way to do that is to read. Deliberate reading, as Ben Franklin did it.
Thanks for taking time to watch and share your experience as a writer-reader. I love "What will make us snort?" as a question to ponder as we look ourselves and come up with our ideal reader!
I have a few books by an author I knew personally - he gave me several of his books because they weren't selling and he just knew I could use what he wrote to develop the book that was in me to write...he passed away before I could begin - I am so privileged to have his books.They are exactly what I needed to inspire me on mine.
Hello, and thank you for your instructional videos. My life is a story. I’m 83 years of age very active and many people tell me to write my story. In fact, when I was in college, my English professor said she would help me write the book but I was too busy then. A single mother I needed to make money now. So now I’m ready and I have made several starts and I know I need some help so thank you for putting out helper videos.
This is a real eye-opener for me-"a now I know what to do today and not next week," type of advice. Working on a memoir for a few years already, I've read Angela's Ashes, Wild and Educated, all on Kindle; at first the free sample and then the purchase. The latter two I also bought second hand in order to annotate like you said. A couple of weeks ago, I down loaded the sample of Dani Shapiro's Family History and was hooked. That she begins writing in present tense, is what put me in the story. She also weaves descriptions and forebodings effortlessly-building suspense. Thank you for this. I am now subscribed.
Thank you for this. Just before watching, I had pretty much given up, and decided to just copy other writers until I felt good enough to try again on my own. This makes so much sense. I appreciate you "giving us permission".
We all learn from excellent model texts if we go back in time to childhood. We forget that we can learn this way as adults, too. Enjoy! I hope you learn tons and gain lots of inspiration and confience!
Francine Prose wrote a much-needed book *How To Read Like A Writer*. We need vlogs like yours, Ann. I am not a writer, but I agree with Clive James, who said he was interested in all the arts, but in the end it always came back to reading. My interest in opera and symphonic music is enhanced through reading books by music critics, as is my interest in theatre, film, painting, sculpture and architecture.
Ah, yes! I actually quote from Francine Prose's book at about the 2:09 mark, and again at the 8:00 marks, if you want to see what I pulled to highlight. Reading is foundational for so much learning. Thanks for sharing your experience as a creative in the arts.
I love this teaching Ann. I've been getting your newsletter for years, congrats on taking it to YT. I have written in books to dialogue with the author for years. I often date what I write in spiritual books to show myself where I was when I first read it because I very well could read it again, and again. Sometimes I have dated paragraphs twice with a different understanding. I love that I can write in my books and mark them to fit me. The book I want to do as you talked about today is by Tina Welling called Writing Wild. I love the book for its content and her tone. I am writing again now, and look forward to learning more from you. TY, Kimberly Wulfert
Kimberly, what a treat to meet you here and learn about your fruitful habit of writing in the margins of your books. I'm especially struck by the idea of dating your notes so you can return to a book and see how you've changed over time-I'm going to start doing that. Also, the author and title you mentioned is new to me. I just did a search and look forward to adding Writing Wild to my to-read list. I'd love to hear more about your writing. I invite you to reach out via Instagram DM or annkroeker.com/contact (or simply reply to one of my newsletters) and tell me more.
That not writing in the books is deep ingrained in some cultures and families, even I grew up in similar atmosphere. Thankyou Ann, your video actually helped clear my inner hesitations.
Oh Ann, I too was taught to never deface a book. You’re so brave, annotating you own books, but I really don’t know if I can do that. I do so love a clean book. I’m 60 now. When will I become brave?
Donna, I still love a clean book. But what if you get a used "reading copy" of a book you feel okay about marking in, and buy a second "pristine copy" that remains untouched?
It too me so long to get over that sense of ruining the pages. You could ease yourself into it by starting with sticky notes and the moving to pencils. :)
Thank you for your advice. I will write now with more intention in my chosen books. A good friend told me once not to write in books. I asked him why, books are full of writing. Oh yes, he mused, then he changed his mind.
I have listened to the podcast for years and was looking on youtube for a reading like a writer episode and stumbled on your video. Im just starting and am starting on short stories. The writers I am reading to learn from are Louis Lamour, Hemingway, Guy de Maupassant, Poe, Doyle, Joyce, Fitzgerald, O. Henry, and Mark Twain. For a start, at least.
I love this list of writers, Ronnie. Thanks for sharing your plan. I've been developing a list like this myself, focusing first on those that are available for free online and then working toward short story collections in books. Have fun marking them up!
I am writing a book about human growth, psychology and Mindfulness. Its a great book. I love it, but I'm more of a free non-linear thinker and having a hard time organizing the material. Also, I think as soon as I became aware of the fact that I wasn't following the outline I created, I moved away from writing because of my passion to inform, educate and train people to having to keep up and finish. That is important, but it's become an obstacle, a fear that I might write so much without organizing that it would be even more difficult to finish. I'm sure these are just mental obstacles. Would love to chat and see how you can help me.
Hello and thank you for your comment! I don't know how I missed your notes. I apologize for the belated response. It sounds like you're someone who writes by discovery; that is, most of your thinking about the ideas happens in the act of writing (many people write this way and several famous authors are quoted as saying writing is thinking, and they don't what they think until they write it down). Eventually, our discovery writing needs to be shaped into a structure that both the writer and reader can follow to comprehend and apply the ideas throughout the course of the book. You may find that after producing several thousand words, a shape is suggesting itself and you can begin to write into a structure or form for each chapter. You may want to watch my video about structure: ua-cam.com/video/5ToyfQds11o/v-deo.html And you're welcome to reach out to me for 1:1 coaching. Learn more here: annkroeker.com/writing-coach/
I'm doing something interesting. I have a book list in notion I'm also writing my first book, which I later plan to make into a series. I gave ChatGPT my story's premise and asked for books that could help and inspire me . In another ChatGPT conversation, i take the description of the book, and then I put my story's premise and how each book can help and inspire me for my series Can I go to the book in my notion book and find the book in my list or add it to my list Then I take the description from Amazon put the description in the book The under that I put my story's premise Then under that I take the notes that ChatGPT gave me and put them in each book I have in my notion book list. So when I read from now, I'll find a book in my notion list and check to see if I have any notes for that particular book.
THIS ONE'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT! Like you, I grew up with a sacredness about books. I do keep a full library of my two favorite authors (Vonnegut and Gene Wolfe) to reference whenever I have a question about how writing goes, but the thought of marring them with my incidentals feels like an affront, rather than a gesture of respect. I think I'd have to buy a second copy of my favorite books to feel better about treating them as interactive textbooks. But this is an experience I know nothing about, so I have to give it a try before I can decide. Listening to your journey in the process was perhaps the most persuasive argument.
Thank you for watching and considering a new approach. Taking baby steps sounds like a wise choice for you, so if you have the means to pick up a used copy of a book that you purchase with the sole purpose of reading and marking, you can have freedom to experiment. You likely take notes, though, don't you? Is that how you've kept track of favorite quotes or sections? If it really doesn't suit you to make a single mark in a book, perhaps you could describe your note-taking system? I could do a video about that, because I've seen so many approaches and tried a lot on my own. Again, thank you for taking time to interact with me about this. I have a set of books I inherited from my parents when they downsized-the very books I wasn't allowed to mark up. They are lovely books that slide into cardboard sleeves. I would not mark in those. But the scrappy paperback copy of Angela's Ashes I picked up a library sale? Yes, I might pull out the pen and highlighter for that one.
@@annkroekerwritingcoach Well, perhaps that's what I'm missing in my repertoire. I don't really take notes, I'm not in the habit of it. I'm learning so many of these writer-organizational concepts with each year, but I kinda wish I could've taken a course on how to arm myself at the beginning. When I find passages I like, I'll take a photo of them to share on Twitter, or I'll type them out for the same, but now that you mention it I bet I would benefit from something like a writer's journal, where I keep track of interesting techniques and appealing quotes. And gods know I have enough blank books lying around that have been waiting for something special like this.
@@aborigenGTS You sound like you're comfortable with a combination of analog and digital note-taking options (thinking of the Twitter snapshots of excerpts you like for digital; your journal for digital). If you grab a blank book and start taking notes, be sure to search for "commonplace books" online to see how this practice has a long history (and you'll see you're in good company with famous people who have kept them over the years).
I so wish I had the funds to hire you Ann. I love the way you think, teach and talk. One day - one day. Ps love your hair - mine’s fine, fly-away and blonde.
Donna, I'd love to work with you, too. Maybe look at YourPlatformMatters.com to join us there? That's an affordable way to work with me in a group setting. As for the hair, well...yeah. Nothing fancy over here.
Great video! Maybe you can be of help? Seeking to read like a writer also at the same time deconstruct a novel like index card storyboarding. Any known video or writer who has touched on this idea?
Ron Friedman, author of Decoding Greatness, recommends "reverse engineering" books to discover anything you want to know about the structure, style, technique, etc. I interviewed him for my podcast. You can watch that as a video, and you could also read his book to learn more. He doesn't walk through the exact method you described, but the book has ideas, even a few visuals, that are similar. If you know how to build/outline/develop a novel using index card storyboarding, you'd just reverse that and map an existing novel's beats to the Hero's Journey of Save the Cat or whatever, one card per beat (down to more detailed scenes between the beats and obligatory scenes). Read and note the the scenes as you read, placing them where you think they belong in the outline. Here's the interview with Ron: ua-cam.com/video/agCtQaSQfXw/v-deo.html
I think so, especially in one's native tongue. In fact, if you watch my interview with Ron Friedman, his approach to studying models of writing you admire, you can reverse-outline and "templatize" those examples to learn how they pulled off great work. You can also try copywork (Ron talks about that), take classes, read books about writing, join writing groups, or hire a writing coach (but that's the most expensive option). Here's the interview with Ron: ua-cam.com/video/agCtQaSQfXw/v-deo.html
@@annkroekerwritingcoach Yes, take a page from Ulysses, The Wave, Storm of Swords, The Final Empire, and keep going. I guess a lot people can learn a lot from how you read them.
This is a great video! Thank you for this.
I’m reading Stephen King’s On Writing, and I’ve come to understand the being a wide reader is very crucial to being a writer. He talked about that whenever he writes, he has the image of his Ideal Reader, asking himself, will she love this, will she laugh at this part? I realized that to come up with the image of that ideal reader, we have to look at ourselves first. What do we like reading? What will make us snort? What will make us feel emotions? There’s an unpopular opinion that reading is not a pre requisite to writing, that there are writers who do not read or like reading at all. Instead, they’d rather consume stories in other mediums. It’s not “wrong” though. But since we are writing, and the people who read consume words, we should also know how to construct stories using the language. best way to do that is to read. Deliberate reading, as Ben Franklin did it.
Thanks for taking time to watch and share your experience as a writer-reader. I love "What will make us snort?" as a question to ponder as we look ourselves and come up with our ideal reader!
I have a few books by an author I knew personally - he gave me several of his books because they weren't selling and he just knew I could use what he wrote to develop the book that was in me to write...he passed away before I could begin - I am so privileged to have his books.They are exactly what I needed to inspire me on mine.
What a story! I’m glad to hear you followed through. That mentoring heart of the writer seems like a passing of the torch.
Hello, and thank you for your instructional videos. My life is a story. I’m 83 years of age very active and many people tell me to write my story. In fact, when I was in college, my English professor said she would help me write the book but I was too busy then. A single mother I needed to make money now. So now I’m ready and I have made several starts and I know I need some help so thank you for putting out helper videos.
I hope it goes well for you! Keep everyone updated!!!
This is a real eye-opener for me-"a now I know what to do today and not next week," type of advice. Working on a memoir for a few years already, I've read Angela's Ashes, Wild and Educated, all on Kindle; at first the free sample and then the purchase. The latter two I also bought second hand in order to annotate like you said. A couple of weeks ago, I down loaded the sample of Dani Shapiro's Family History and was hooked. That she begins writing in present tense, is what put me in the story. She also weaves descriptions and forebodings effortlessly-building suspense. Thank you for this. I am now subscribed.
Your plan to study these memoirs and how they are structured will prepare you well to complete your own.
Thank you for this. Just before watching, I had pretty much given up, and decided to just copy other writers until I felt good enough to try again on my own. This makes so much sense. I appreciate you "giving us permission".
We all learn from excellent model texts if we go back in time to childhood. We forget that we can learn this way as adults, too. Enjoy! I hope you learn tons and gain lots of inspiration and confience!
Francine Prose wrote a much-needed book *How To Read Like A Writer*. We need vlogs like yours, Ann.
I am not a writer, but I agree with Clive James, who said he was interested in all the arts, but in the end it always came back to reading.
My interest in opera and symphonic music is enhanced through reading books by music critics, as is my interest in theatre, film, painting, sculpture and architecture.
Ah, yes! I actually quote from Francine Prose's book at about the 2:09 mark, and again at the 8:00 marks, if you want to see what I pulled to highlight. Reading is foundational for so much learning. Thanks for sharing your experience as a creative in the arts.
I love this teaching Ann. I've been getting your newsletter for years, congrats on taking it to YT. I have written in books to dialogue with the author for years. I often date what I write in spiritual books to show myself where I was when I first read it because I very well could read it again, and again. Sometimes I have dated paragraphs twice with a different understanding. I love that I can write in my books and mark them to fit me. The book I want to do as you talked about today is by Tina Welling called Writing Wild. I love the book for its content and her tone. I am writing again now, and look forward to learning more from you. TY, Kimberly Wulfert
Kimberly, what a treat to meet you here and learn about your fruitful habit of writing in the margins of your books. I'm especially struck by the idea of dating your notes so you can return to a book and see how you've changed over time-I'm going to start doing that. Also, the author and title you mentioned is new to me. I just did a search and look forward to adding Writing Wild to my to-read list. I'd love to hear more about your writing. I invite you to reach out via Instagram DM or annkroeker.com/contact (or simply reply to one of my newsletters) and tell me more.
That not writing in the books is deep ingrained in some cultures and families, even I grew up in similar atmosphere. Thankyou Ann, your video actually helped clear my inner hesitations.
Oh Ann, I too was taught to never deface a book. You’re so brave, annotating you own books, but I really don’t know if I can do that. I do so love a clean book. I’m 60 now. When will I become brave?
Donna, I still love a clean book. But what if you get a used "reading copy" of a book you feel okay about marking in, and buy a second "pristine copy" that remains untouched?
Useful information! I never write in my books, because I thought it would spoil the book…
I’m so grateful! 🙏🏻
It too me so long to get over that sense of ruining the pages. You could ease yourself into it by starting with sticky notes and the moving to pencils. :)
@@annkroekerwritingcoach thank you 😊 good idea, I’ll give it a try!
Thank you. Now all I've to is find the motivation to continue writing.
I love this video! Currently annotating Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends !
Thanks for sharing your current read! Any discoveries or inspiration? I don’t know that book but I’ll be checking it out. Keep reading, keep writing!
Thank you for your advice.
I will write now with more intention in my chosen books.
A good friend told me once not to write in books. I asked him why, books are full of writing. Oh yes, he mused, then he changed his mind.
"Books are full of writing." I love that snappy comeback!
You're an amazing teacher :)
Wow, thank you!
I have listened to the podcast for years and was looking on youtube for a reading like a writer episode and stumbled on your video. Im just starting and am starting on short stories. The writers I am reading to learn from are Louis Lamour, Hemingway, Guy de Maupassant, Poe, Doyle, Joyce, Fitzgerald, O. Henry, and Mark Twain. For a start, at least.
I love this list of writers, Ronnie. Thanks for sharing your plan. I've been developing a list like this myself, focusing first on those that are available for free online and then working toward short story collections in books. Have fun marking them up!
Excellent tips! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
This is an amazing video. Thank you Ann for this insightful video.
I am writing a book about human growth, psychology and Mindfulness. Its a great book. I love it, but I'm more of a free non-linear thinker and having a hard time organizing the material. Also, I think as soon as I became aware of the fact that I wasn't following the outline I created, I moved away from writing because of my passion to inform, educate and train people to having to keep up and finish. That is important, but it's become an obstacle, a fear that I might write so much without organizing that it would be even more difficult to finish. I'm sure these are just mental obstacles. Would love to chat and see how you can help me.
Hello and thank you for your comment! I don't know how I missed your notes. I apologize for the belated response. It sounds like you're someone who writes by discovery; that is, most of your thinking about the ideas happens in the act of writing (many people write this way and several famous authors are quoted as saying writing is thinking, and they don't what they think until they write it down). Eventually, our discovery writing needs to be shaped into a structure that both the writer and reader can follow to comprehend and apply the ideas throughout the course of the book. You may find that after producing several thousand words, a shape is suggesting itself and you can begin to write into a structure or form for each chapter. You may want to watch my video about structure: ua-cam.com/video/5ToyfQds11o/v-deo.html And you're welcome to reach out to me for 1:1 coaching. Learn more here: annkroeker.com/writing-coach/
Thank you, this is extremely helpful!
Thank you for taking time to watch. Michelle’s input was helpful to me, too!
I'm doing something interesting. I have a book list in notion
I'm also writing my first book, which I later plan to make into a series.
I gave ChatGPT my story's premise and asked for books that could help and inspire me .
In another ChatGPT conversation, i take the description of the book, and then I put my story's premise and how each book can help and inspire me for my series
Can I go to the book in my notion book and find the book in my list or add it to my list
Then I take the description from Amazon put the description in the book
The under that I put my story's premise
Then under that I take the notes that ChatGPT gave me and put them in each book I have in my notion book list.
So when I read from now, I'll find a book in my notion list and check to see if I have any notes for that particular book.
What an interesting use of AI. Thanks for sharing your process in such detail!
THIS ONE'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT! Like you, I grew up with a sacredness about books. I do keep a full library of my two favorite authors (Vonnegut and Gene Wolfe) to reference whenever I have a question about how writing goes, but the thought of marring them with my incidentals feels like an affront, rather than a gesture of respect. I think I'd have to buy a second copy of my favorite books to feel better about treating them as interactive textbooks. But this is an experience I know nothing about, so I have to give it a try before I can decide. Listening to your journey in the process was perhaps the most persuasive argument.
Thank you for watching and considering a new approach. Taking baby steps sounds like a wise choice for you, so if you have the means to pick up a used copy of a book that you purchase with the sole purpose of reading and marking, you can have freedom to experiment. You likely take notes, though, don't you? Is that how you've kept track of favorite quotes or sections? If it really doesn't suit you to make a single mark in a book, perhaps you could describe your note-taking system? I could do a video about that, because I've seen so many approaches and tried a lot on my own.
Again, thank you for taking time to interact with me about this. I have a set of books I inherited from my parents when they downsized-the very books I wasn't allowed to mark up. They are lovely books that slide into cardboard sleeves. I would not mark in those. But the scrappy paperback copy of Angela's Ashes I picked up a library sale? Yes, I might pull out the pen and highlighter for that one.
@@annkroekerwritingcoach Well, perhaps that's what I'm missing in my repertoire. I don't really take notes, I'm not in the habit of it. I'm learning so many of these writer-organizational concepts with each year, but I kinda wish I could've taken a course on how to arm myself at the beginning. When I find passages I like, I'll take a photo of them to share on Twitter, or I'll type them out for the same, but now that you mention it I bet I would benefit from something like a writer's journal, where I keep track of interesting techniques and appealing quotes. And gods know I have enough blank books lying around that have been waiting for something special like this.
@@aborigenGTS You sound like you're comfortable with a combination of analog and digital note-taking options (thinking of the Twitter snapshots of excerpts you like for digital; your journal for digital). If you grab a blank book and start taking notes, be sure to search for "commonplace books" online to see how this practice has a long history (and you'll see you're in good company with famous people who have kept them over the years).
Great guidance, thank you. Still hesitating to write in my books though! 😂
You're not alone...I have to talk myself into it every time.
Love this
😍😍Amazing video! Thank you!
Thanks for watching - glad it was useful!
I so wish I had the funds to hire you Ann. I love the way you think, teach and talk. One day - one day. Ps love your hair - mine’s fine, fly-away and blonde.
Donna, I'd love to work with you, too. Maybe look at YourPlatformMatters.com to join us there? That's an affordable way to work with me in a group setting. As for the hair, well...yeah. Nothing fancy over here.
Very useful
I'm glad. Good to meet you here.
Thank you
Glad to help!
Great video! Maybe you can be of help? Seeking to read like a writer also at the same time deconstruct a novel like index card storyboarding. Any known video or writer who has touched on this idea?
Ron Friedman, author of Decoding Greatness, recommends "reverse engineering" books to discover anything you want to know about the structure, style, technique, etc. I interviewed him for my podcast. You can watch that as a video, and you could also read his book to learn more. He doesn't walk through the exact method you described, but the book has ideas, even a few visuals, that are similar. If you know how to build/outline/develop a novel using index card storyboarding, you'd just reverse that and map an existing novel's beats to the Hero's Journey of Save the Cat or whatever, one card per beat (down to more detailed scenes between the beats and obligatory scenes). Read and note the the scenes as you read, placing them where you think they belong in the outline. Here's the interview with Ron: ua-cam.com/video/agCtQaSQfXw/v-deo.html
very very very low volume though the content is good please fix the mic
Thanks for letting me know. I played it and it seems okay. I'll continue to tweak.
Is it possible for anyone to become a writer?
I think so, especially in one's native tongue. In fact, if you watch my interview with Ron Friedman, his approach to studying models of writing you admire, you can reverse-outline and "templatize" those examples to learn how they pulled off great work. You can also try copywork (Ron talks about that), take classes, read books about writing, join writing groups, or hire a writing coach (but that's the most expensive option). Here's the interview with Ron: ua-cam.com/video/agCtQaSQfXw/v-deo.html
Can you read a book for us? Even a few chapters will help.
Are you saying you'd like me to mark up a book and show you my thought process as I annotate?
@@annkroekerwritingcoach Yes, take a page from Ulysses, The Wave, Storm of Swords, The Final Empire, and keep going. I guess a lot people can learn a lot from how you read them.
Please cover how to write like a reader 😅
Ha! Love it! Do you follow Modern Mrs. Darcy/What Should I Read Next? She writes about what she reads.