TWELVE STEPS TO GET STARTED AS AN X-RAY READER

 

1. Begin with your routine habits, reading for information or the experience of story.

2. Look for passages that make you stop, not because they are bad but because they are so good that you want to enjoy and appreciate them.

3. Read these “showstopper” passages again, this time more slowly.

4. Look for the part of the passage you like best: it could be a paragraph, a sentence, a metaphor, even a word.

5. Read that part again, this time aloud. If there is another person in the room, read it aloud to that person.

6. If the passage comes from a book or magazine, mark it with a pencil, then write some words or phrases in the margins that describe what interests you.

7. Ask yourself, out loud if it helps, “How did the writer do this?”

8. Put on your metaphorical X-ray glasses and see if you can answer that question.

9. If you are having trouble coming up with an answer, share the passage with friends, colleagues, teachers.

10. Duplicate the passage—you may even want to copy it by hand to get a feel for it—and save it in a journal or file.

11. Put the passage away and begin your own writing. You don’t need to imitate the model text. It’s better if the influence is indirect.

12. If you discover a technique or strategy not mentioned in this book, add it to your copy of The Art of X-ray Reading. (And send it to me! rclark@poynter.org.)