ISWG: Reading as a Writer

On the first Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group encourages writers to talk about their insecurities.

 

Each month, they also have an optional question to answer. This month it's: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

(I'm going to lump in TV and movies in with reading because there's nothing in the rules says I can't. It's the Air Bud law.)

Well, it's easier to figure out who the murderer is.

I once named the murderer within five seconds of her showing up on screen. Not exaggerating. It was a futuristic cop show called Almost Human. The detectives go to investigate something, the big important guy introduces his secretary when she brings him a folder, and I said "She did it." My mom asked how I knew, and I said, "Because it's the future. They have robots. They don't need secretaries, and they definitely don't need paper folders. Her character was onscreen for ten seconds and didn't need a name, so this was the writers making sure we knew her before the big reveal at the end where Cop Guy goes 'Wait, I know that name...'"

And I was right.

I also find myself noticing little bits of symbolism and foreshadowing that I think went over my head before I started having to add that kind of stuff into my own stories.

But mostly, I think being a writer has given me a better understanding and appreciation of the work that goes into making something like a book or movie. I might not like that character, but look at how developed his backstory is! Or maybe there's a few episodes that I think are pointless, but I can see how the boring events are needed to set up the big exciting bits later on.

And in other news: I made a scarf! My mother made the hat and had extra yarn. (Aren't I adorable? You can hardly tell how claustrophobic I am in that horrible yarn noose. (I really don't understand the appeal of scarves and was a very reluctant model here.))