How to read like a writer

Analyze the five magic ingredients in five-star books.

I can usually find something to love in most books. But FOR ME, an overanalyzing writer and a student of craft, a true five-star read balances five essential elements: honesty, language, full arcs, respect for the reader, and a stellar ending. This is quite a feat, as every writer knows, so these books feel like unicorns. Of course, tastes abound, no one book will appeal to everyone, and “imperfect” books still end up on my favorites list. But I live for books that hit it out of the park.

1. Undeniable honesty

To me, this is the most important ingredient. Honesty gives us jump-from-the-page characters whose shoes mold to our feet. The shoes may not be easy to wear, but honest stories root us in, allowing us to embody even the most flawed characters, breathing and thinking like them, believing them, seeing ourselves in them. IMO, to achieve this level of honesty and relatability, characters must expose their ugliest selves.

To paraphrase George Saunders, story is an attempt at a nonbullshitty conversation about the human condition, and the only way a writer can have that conversation with a reader is to be honest.

-A few undeniably honest characters:

• Mr. March, titular character in March, a novel by Geraldine Brooks

• Javier Zamora, in Solito, a memoir

• Adunni, from The Girl With the Louding Voice, a novel by Abi Dare

• Scout, from To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s classic novel

• Mark Watney, from The Martian, by Andy Weir

• Humbert Humbert, from Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

• Katniss, from the Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

2. Language that immerses, plays, and sings

Beautiful language doesn’t have to be high brow and pretentious. Poetic language that works is often simple and accessible, reminding us that at its heart literature is a game with words. This kind of language immerses our five senses, relying on showing (placing us in scene) and balancing it with just the right amount of telling (summary).

How you say it matters as much as what’s being said.

When we say a book has a distinct voice, we’re often referring to skilled use of language. In studying books that nail this, we writers can learn to craft powerful voices.

-A few books with decidedly poetic prose:

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, a novel by Ocean Vuong

• Hamnet, a novel by Maggie O’Farrell

• A Gentleman in Moscow, a novel by Amor Towles

• White Oleander, a novel by Janet Fitch

3. Full Arcs: Plot & Character

For stories to have a point, they need to show change. The character needs to grow (character arc) and something needs to happen (plot arc). We readers anticipate this from the beginning, and we’re disappointed when arcs flatten. A perfect arc is filled with momentum that pushes us to the end.

Arcs give us the reason why this story is being told.

4. Respect for the reader’s time and intelligence

Nothing turns me off faster than unpurposeful, unnecessary repetition. Purposeful repetition can be playful and enhance prose. But when a writer repeats something, and I mentally respond with “I know already,” I feel talked down to and start checking my watch.

My intelligence also feels slighted when suspension of disbelief breaks. The story has to make sense within the parameters set; and proper parameters must be set to make me believe.

5. Sticking the landing

We’ve all read books that fail to deliver on the promise made in the beginning. Most of those falter in the middle, a few fail at the end. Often, this has to do with the previous four elements not coming together. The character’s arc might not feel organic to the plot; or the reader’s time feels devalued with unnecessary scenes, dishonest (not ringing “true”) conversations, and flat overly-telling language.

Sometimes failed endings are due to a writer not delivering on genre conventions: a romance must end with the characters getting together and a mystery must end with the red herrings making sense. In literary fiction, the character must feel like they’ve gone through something substantial, even if it’s an everyman journey.

When these five ingredients come together, we get a perfect soufflé of a book, one we will gladly eat again and again. Often, when we return to page one to see how the author pulled off their feat, we get sucked back into the prose, only to discover new little wonders. And each time, we experience the magic as if for the first time.

In this substack, I’ll discuss books from my 5-star list according to the above criteria. Since time’s valuable (yours and mine), I will keep it brief. Please check out the books if they appeal to you. And tell me the books that get five stars from you. I’ll definitely check them out.