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. 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 Nothing fancy..
The short version is this: most of us read like consumers. Bunn wants you to read like someone building the thing.
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. And maybe eight pages if you print it out. Bunn wrote it after teaching college writing and realizing his students read articles, stories, and essays like they were just... absorbing content. Not questioning it. Not noticing choices.
No fluff here — just what actually works Simple, but easy to overlook..
The core idea is simple but weirdly hard to do. But when you read like a writer, you pay attention to how the text is made. Which means not just what it says. 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.
Bunn calls this "joining the conversation.In real terms, " 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. Because of that, reading like a writer is slower. On the flip side, you stop. You re-read a paragraph because the transition felt smooth and you want to know why. 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 Nothing fancy..
Why It Matters
Why does this matter? Because most people skip it.
We're drowning in text. Plus, articles, posts, docs, emails. And we consume all of it passively. Bunn's point is that if you never look under the hood, you'll keep writing the same weak sentences forever. 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. Think about it: in practice, the students Bunn describes aren't lazy. Because of that, to agree or disagree. School teaches you to summarize. On top of that, they just never got told that reading is a writing skill. Not to steal techniques Most people skip this — try not to. Still holds up..
And here's what most people miss: when you read like a writer, your own writing gets better without you doing drills. You pick up rhythm. Here's the thing — you absorb structure. You start recognizing when a paragraph drags because you've seen authors fix that exact problem on the page.
Counterintuitive, but true Not complicated — just consistent..
Turns out, the best writing course isn't a course. It's a re-reading habit.
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.
Start With the Assignment or Context
Bunn says before you even read, figure out what the text is for. Now, who wrote it? A restaurant review and a research paper make totally different moves. Which means who's it for? What's the genre? If you don't know the rules they're playing by, you can't learn the game Simple as that..
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. Consider this: enjoy it or suffer through, whatever. That's why then read again. This time, slow down. Bunn wants you to treat the second read like a mechanic with the engine open.
What's the first sentence doing? Day to day, is it a story? Which means a stat? Day to day, a weird claim? Authors choose that stuff Most people skip this — try not to..
Annotate Like You Mean It
You don't need fancy software. Write "why this example?Which means write "nice transition" next to a paragraph. Margins work. The goal isn't to be right. Bunn's students use pens. " when something feels off. It's to notice Surprisingly effective..
I'll be honest — this is the part most guides get wrong. Which means they say "take notes" and leave it there. Bunn's version is sharper: ask the author questions on the page. Talk back Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Copy Something by Hand
This one's old-school and it works. Think about it: bunn mentions that typing or writing out a passage forces you to see every word. You notice the comma they used. The sentence they cut in half. 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. On the flip side, "They used a counterargument here. Here's the thing — " "They zoomed in with a detail. Still, " Once you can name it, you can do it. Without the name, it's just a feeling you had once while reading.
Common Mistakes
Most people try this and quietly mess it up. Here's where it goes wrong.
Thinking It Means Hating Everything
Some newbies read like a writer and turn into critics. Bunn isn't teaching you to roast authors. "This metaphor is weak. This intro is cliché.But he's teaching you to spot options. But " That's not the point. Even a bad choice teaches you what not to do Simple, but easy to overlook..
Only Doing It With "Great" Books
If you only analyze Pulitzer winners, you miss the point. That's why why does it convince you? Why does another one fail? Think about it: bunn would tell you to read a bad Yelp review like a writer. The mechanics are there in junk too.
Confusing Summary With Analysis
Big one. Bunn wants the second thing. Writing "the author opens with a kid's cavity story to dodge the dry stats" is reading like a writer. Writing "the author argues we should tax soda" is summary. The first is what you did in high school English.
Giving Up After One Essay
It's a skill. First time you try, you'll notice almost nothing. That's fine. Bunn's whole essay is basically permission to be a beginner. But 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 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. Day to day, not a book. An article. Something under 2,000 words. Think about it: read it twice. Scribble three things the author did on purpose. Even so, that's it. You'll learn more from that than from a year of passive scrolling.
Read stuff outside your taste. That's why if you love sci-fi, read a political column. Practically speaking, 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.
Keep a "moves" note on your phone. Plus, when you read something that hits, screenshot it and write one line: "Opened with a question, held the answer till paragraph 3. " Over time you've got a swipe file of techniques. Not to copy. To understand.
And don't tell yourself you're too busy. Because of that, bunn's method makes regular reading count twice. So naturally, you're entertained and trained. That's a decent trade Nothing fancy..
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.
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. Consider this: bunn isn't asking you to crawl through every paragraph at a snail's pace. That's why 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.
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.
Conclusion
Mike Bunn's "How to Read Like a Writer" isn't a rigid system or a reading boot camp. Now, it's a shift in posture: from consuming texts to examining them. And 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. Consider this: you don't become a different reader overnight. You become a reader who notices, and noticing is where all the make use of lives.
Real talk — this step gets skipped all the time Simple, but easy to overlook..
