Sure, you know how to read.
But do you know how to read like a writer?
Discover how—with guidance and analysis from
award-winning speechwriter Elaine Bennett
They say if you want to write better, you should read better writing. But reading the way you’ve always read things will only go so far. You need to read it critically. Read like a writer.
It’s an essential skill.
And I can help you discover it.
Read Like a Writer: Critical thinking for grown-ups
Every other week, I’ll send you a deep-dive analysis into a piece of great writing—a speech, an article, a blog post, a poem, a podcast. It’s like a backstage tour of the choices each author made, so you can begin to make more conscious choices about techniques to use in your own writing.
And every single week, you’ll also get a writing prompt and an inspirational quotation. Use the prompt to practice the techniques you’re learning, or to have a little fun. Or write whatever you like. But write. That’s the most important thing.
This is how I learned to write—by studying the bones of great writing and then writing myself.
To give you an idea of what an analysis looks like, I’ve taken an article I posted on LinkedIn and turned it into a Weekly What. You can download it here: Weekly What Sample – Ali.
Live support, lively discussions
Once a month we’ll meet on a Zoom call to discuss the last two analyses. Hear what your fellow writers thought about the pieces—if past groups are any indication, you’re in for a lively discussion.
- What stood out for you?
- What surprised you?
- What choices did you agree or disagree with?
- What makes each piece unique?
Share your takeaways, hear what others thought of the works, begin to see how the techniques might enliven your own writing. You’ll leave each call with new insights. And if you can’t make a scheduled call, don’t worry. I’ll record them for you.
Listen in to a bit of one Weekly What discussion we had last year. The writers on the call—some of the participants in my Writing Unbound course—gave me permission to release this excerpt.
Writing Beyond class discussion—”The Weekly What” from Elaine Bennett on Vimeo.
Are you struggling to find your writer’s voice?
Read Like a Writer can help you with that, too. As you read pieces by a diverse group of writers, I’ll encourage you to emulate their style from time to time. Yes, on purpose. As in this writing prompt:
One sure-fire way to shake loose your own writing style is to write the same piece in three or four different styles—waiting a day or so between each one. And then write it again as yourself.
And there’s more where that came from: a year’s worth of writing prompts, in fact.
“The prompts broadened my thinking and challenged my writing.” — 2017 Weekly What participant
Writing prompt and inspirational quote accompanying the analysis of a piece by James Baldwin.
I originally created Read Like a Writer (under a different name) to supplement my Writing Unbound course. But not everyone has an extra two or three hours a week to pursue an intensive writing program. So I’m also offering Read Like a Writer as a standalone program—a self-directed course in critical reading.
College students pay over $1000 for a semester-long course in critical reading.
Commit to the program by February 4th
and your investment is just $249.
Click the link and join us.