Readers who love books and talking about books join book clubs, but writers who do so can double dip, literally.
They can improve their analytical skills in reading, while also discovering what makes for good writing that appeals to a cross-section of readers.
I discovered this fact after I joined a book club that meets monthly at the Barnes & Noble in Fort Collins.
We each make a recommendation about what we want to read, and as a result compile a laundry list of titles. Since I’ve joined, we’ve read “The Forgotten Garden,” “Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English,” “The Language of Flowers,” “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” and “Falling Together.”
Book clubs are a way to discover books and authors you wouldn’t find on your own and to sample new genres, particularly if you’re part of a general club that tries to appeal to all of the readers in the group.
In my group, the members ask questions and notice aspects about the book that I didn’t catch, because everyone, of course, has a different perspective and worldview. For instance, one of the members is from England and brought in her own experiences with English tea time when we discussed “The Forgotten Garden,” by Kate Morton.
I’ve seen what life elements, including personal, social and political, readers will bring to a discussion, adding to the background of what I know about the book’s setting and circumstances.
All of this together enriches my reading experience, causing me to look deeper at what I read, as well as pay closer attention to plot and character development, so that I know what the other readers are referring to in the discussion.
In addition to improving reading skills, being part of a book club can help a writer:
- Learn what readers of different interests like that’s the same or different.
- Identify the types of characters they like and what, to them, makes for a good character description.
- Pinpoint where they get bored in the plot.
- Find out if they like how the dialogue is carried out and if it’s realistic to them.
- Figure out what they like about each writer’s style and voice.
- Discover what they first notice about the book.
- Find out why they dislike certain books and love others.
At the end of each hour-long discussion, the members rate the book on a sale of 1-10. A good book gets mostly 9s and 10s, while a mediocre book gets 4s to 7s. A book also can get mixed reviews.
After the discussion, I like to ponder the ratings to figure out why the book got that rating. This helps me get a peek into the reader’s mind, though, as a writer, I won’t write to that reader unless I’m starting with something already within myself that needs expression.
