Day 04 Writing Workout

Welcome to DAY 4 of the 30-day writing workout with Ace Baker.

Today’s session is on AUTHOR ANALYSIS and it builds on the exercise we did yesterday, when we looked at how important it is to be able to read as a writer in order to improve our own creative work.

Today, I want you to go back to one of your favorite writers. Pluck one of their books off your shelf, and we’re going to do a bit of a deep dive into it.

As an example, I’m going to take a peek at My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Here’s the excerpt I’ll be looking at:

“This is how it feels when you realize your child is missing: The pit of your stomach freezes fast, while your legs go to jelly. There’s one single, blue-bass thud of your heart. The shape of her name, sharp as metal filings, gets caught between your teeth even as you try to force it out in a shout. Fear breathes like a monster into your ear”

This passage shows just how adept Picoult is with imagery. Look at the senses she appeals to: sight, sound, taste, and touch are all present in this short description. Note also the strong verbs she combines WITH her imagery: “freezes,” “caught,” “force,” “breathes.” A final point, one we may examine in more detail in a future post, is that in this novel in particular, but in her other work as well, Picoult is the Queen of Simile. This short excerpt ends with a strong one:

“Fear breathes like a monster into your ear.”

She combines personification here with simile to make it even stronger. It’s like fear is a villain RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

Now it’s your turn. When you look at great parts of writing from your favorite authors, what is it that they do particularly well? Dialogue? Strong verbs? Figurative language? Manipulating sentence lengths to create specific effects? Detailed description and imagery like the Picoult example above?

Remember that you’re not trying to analyze EVERYTHING. You’re looking for tools your author likes to use–their go-to techniques.

That’s it for today–just consciously noting down what your author does particularly well and which tools you notice in the reading you do. It’s an excuse to read that author’s work that you love again, looking at it with a writer’s eyes this time. List, with examples for today, those techniques you find, and get ready for workout #5 tomorrow, PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE!