You ever finish a piece of writing and think, "Where did that even come from?" Not in a good way. In a why does this sound like a robot wrote it way.
That's the exact problem Mike Bunn tackles in his little essay "How to Read Like a Writer." It's short. That said, it's assigned in a lot of first-year writing classes. And honestly, it's one of the most useful things I've ever read about becoming a better writer without actually writing more.
The short version is this: most of us read like consumers. Bunn wants you to read like someone building the thing Worth keeping that in mind..
What Is How to Read Like a Writer by Mike Bunn
So here's the thing — "How to Read Like a Writer" isn't a 300-page manual. It's an essay. On the flip side, maybe eight pages if you print it out. That's why absorbing content. That said, bunn wrote it after teaching college writing and realizing his students read articles, stories, and essays like they were just... Day to day, not questioning it. Not noticing choices.
The core idea is simple but weirdly hard to do. Which means when you read like a writer, you pay attention to how the text is made. Not just what it says. That said, you notice the opening line. You notice where the author switched topics. You catch the moment they used a short sentence to land a point.
This is the bit that actually matters in practice.
Bunn calls this "joining the conversation.Still, " Every piece of writing is a response to other writing. When you read like a writer, you start seeing those threads.
It's Not Speed Reading
Look, this isn't about finishing more books. But you re-read a paragraph because the transition felt smooth and you want to know why. Reading like a writer is slower. You stop. Bunn literally tells students to ask themselves, "What is the author doing here, and why?
That question changes everything.
It's Not Just for Fiction People
A lot of folks hear "read like a writer" and think poetry or novels. The skill works on a tweet, a lab report, or a blog post. But Bunn's examples are often nonfiction — op-eds, essays, assignments. Any time words are arranged on purpose, there's something to learn.
Why It Matters
Why does this matter? Because most people skip it.
We're drowning in text. Bunn's point is that if you never look under the hood, you'll keep writing the same weak sentences forever. And we consume all of it passively. In real terms, articles, posts, docs, emails. You won't know why some opening pulls you in and yours puts people to sleep.
I know it sounds simple — but it's easy to miss. So in practice, the students Bunn describes aren't lazy. They just never got told that reading is a writing skill. School teaches you to summarize. To agree or disagree. Not to steal techniques The details matter here..
And here's what most people miss: when you read like a writer, your own writing gets better without you doing drills. Now, you absorb structure. You pick up rhythm. You start recognizing when a paragraph drags because you've seen authors fix that exact problem on the page It's one of those things that adds up..
Turns out, the best writing course isn't a course. It's a re-reading habit Worth keeping that in mind..
How It Works
Bunn lays out a pretty clear method, even if he presents it as gentle suggestions. Here's how to actually do it Still holds up..
Start With the Assignment or Context
Bunn says before you even read, figure out what the text is for. Who wrote it? In real terms, who's it for? What's the genre? A restaurant review and a research paper make totally different moves. If you don't know the rules they're playing by, you can't learn the game.
Real talk, this step takes ten seconds. " You're not reading it as a personal essay. But skipping it is why people say "I don't get why this essay won a prize.You're reading it as a news story. Wrong lens.
Read Once for Meaning, Then Go Back
First pass: just see what happens. Even so, this time, slow down. Practically speaking, then read again. So enjoy it or suffer through, whatever. Bunn wants you to treat the second read like a mechanic with the engine open.
What's the first sentence doing? Now, is it a story? A stat? In real terms, a weird claim? Authors choose that stuff It's one of those things that adds up..
Annotate Like You Mean It
You don't need fancy software. Margins work. Because of that, bunn's students use pens. Write "nice transition" next to a paragraph. Write "why this example?" when something feels off. In practice, the goal isn't to be right. It's to notice Which is the point..
I'll be honest — this is the part most guides get wrong. They say "take notes" and leave it there. In real terms, bunn's version is sharper: ask the author questions on the page. Talk back Turns out it matters..
Copy Something by Hand
This one's old-school and it works. The sentence they cut in half. Bunn mentions that typing or writing out a passage forces you to see every word. You notice the comma they used. You can't glide past it when your hand is moving.
Worth knowing: you're not plagiarizing. That's why you're reverse-engineering. Like tracing a drawing to learn the lines.
Name the Moves
Bunn pushes you to build a vocabulary. Practically speaking, "They used a counterargument here. That said, " "They zoomed in with a detail. Here's the thing — " Once you can name it, you can do it. Without the name, it's just a feeling you had once while reading Less friction, more output..
Common Mistakes
Most people try this and quietly mess it up. Here's where it goes wrong Not complicated — just consistent..
Thinking It Means Hating Everything
Some newbies read like a writer and turn into critics. In practice, "This metaphor is weak. This intro is cliché.Bunn isn't teaching you to roast authors. Now, " That's not the point. In practice, he's teaching you to spot options. Even a bad choice teaches you what not to do But it adds up..
The official docs gloss over this. That's a mistake.
Only Doing It With "Great" Books
If you only analyze Pulitzer winners, you miss the point. Bunn would tell you to read a bad Yelp review like a writer. Still, why does it convince you? Why does another one fail? The mechanics are there in junk too.
Confusing Summary With Analysis
Big one. Writing "the author argues we should tax soda" is summary. Writing "the author opens with a kid's cavity story to dodge the dry stats" is reading like a writer. Bunn wants the second thing. The first is what you did in high school English.
This is the bit that actually matters in practice.
Giving Up After One Essay
It's a skill. That said, first time you try, you'll notice almost nothing. That's fine. Bunn's whole essay is basically permission to be a beginner. This leads to the noticing gets faster. After a month, you'll catch yourself mid-article thinking "oh, that's why that landed The details matter here. Practical, not theoretical..
Practical Tips
Here's what actually works if you want to use Bunn's approach without turning your reading life into homework.
Pick one article a week. Not a book. An article. Something under 2,000 words. Read it twice. Scribble three things the author did on purpose. Because of that, that's it. You'll learn more from that than from a year of passive scrolling.
Read stuff outside your taste. That said, if you love sci-fi, read a political column. In practice, the distance helps you see craft instead of getting sucked into the story. Bunn's students often hate the readings — and learn the most from them Simple, but easy to overlook..
Keep a "moves" note on your phone. " Over time you've got a swipe file of techniques. Not to copy. When you read something that hits, screenshot it and write one line: "Opened with a question, held the answer till paragraph 3.To understand Simple, but easy to overlook..
And don't tell yourself you're too busy. You're entertained and trained. But bunn's method makes regular reading count twice. That's a decent trade And that's really what it comes down to..
FAQ
What is the main point of Mike Bunn's "How to Read Like a Writer"? The main point is that reading should be active. You should look at texts as constructed objects and ask what the author is doing and why, so you can use those same moves in your own writing Most people skip this — try not to..
Is "How to Read Like a Writer" only for students? No. Bunn wrote it for college writers, but the approach works for anyone who writes — emails, reports, blogs, anything. The essay is short and free to find in a lot of open writing textbooks.
Do I need to read slowly all the time?
No. Bunn isn't asking you to crawl through every paragraph at a snail's pace. Consider this: the goal is flexibility: sometimes you skim to see the shape of an argument, sometimes you slow down on a single sentence to figure out why it works. Reading like a writer means choosing your speed on purpose, not defaulting to one mode.
Can I still read for fun? Absolutely. In fact, Bunn would say you should. The difference is that "fun" and "analysis" aren't enemies. You can lose yourself in a thriller on a Sunday and still notice, halfway through, that the author switched point of view to hide a clue. The habit just runs in the background once it's built Worth keeping that in mind. No workaround needed..
What if I don't want to be a writer? Then treat it as a reading upgrade. Spotting structure, intent, and technique makes you harder to manipulate and easier to persuade with reason. You don't need to publish anything to benefit from seeing how language gets built That's the part that actually makes a difference..
Conclusion
Mike Bunn's "How to Read Like a Writer" isn't a rigid system or a reading boot camp. It's a shift in posture: from consuming texts to examining them. The barriers we invent — only studying great books, summarizing instead of analyzing, quitting after one try — are mostly habits, not limits. With one article a week, a notes app, and a little patience, the skill compounds quietly. You don't become a different reader overnight. You become a reader who notices, and noticing is where all the put to work lives Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
