Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them

Reading Like a Writer (2006) is a nonfiction book by novelist and creative writing professor Francine Prose. Falling in the genre of a creative writing manual, the book offers writers and readers a new approach to improve their craft and enhance their understanding of literature. Prose’s central thesis is that attentive reading can open new doors into creativity for writers. Using her favorite literary masterpieces as guides, Prose shows writers how paying close attention to language can help answer difficult questions of craft and technique. Readers and writers can gain fresh perspective on how to create compelling characters and craft memorable dialogue. Quoting from masterpieces of classic and contemporary fiction, Prose narrates the book in a humorous, accessible style filled with personal observations and funny anecdotes. The book shows, through Prose’s own continuing study of writing, how writing is a skill that can be learned. In the process, it debunks many myths and rules about creativity and encourages writers to take chances in their writing.

As of late 2023, New York Times bestselling author Francine Prose (born in 1947) has written 18 works of fiction, including the National Book Award finalist novel Blue Angel (2000), Goldengrove (2008), and Household Saints (1981).