Reading a Short Story through a Writer's Eyes

by

Bich Vu

A writer discerns perceptions in a way that makes one become a great storyteller. Reading the works of writers, one can develop and craft one's own perceptions for stories. There are many ways to read and comprehend a short story through a writer’s eyes.

First, one should read slowly and reread to understand the writer’s perspective. At a slow speed, you would likely grasp the writer's way of seeing and thinking about the world. You also predict how the writer brings his or her point of view into the story. With reading in this manner, you tend to possess good vision and amazing thoughts to create your own world through a writer's eyes.

Second, reading a short story through the writer’s eyes is an enjoyable and exciting way to read. Focusing on the techniques that the writer uses to communicate the message, you read deeper insights into the story. You also probably ask how those techniques affect your life as you experience the short story. With a writer’s eyes, you can confirm why and how the writer used the sentence structure and the plot in the story. You then can create from imagination and develop strong storytelling abilities. Reading short stories will help your brain develop a writing style whether the stories are from newspapers, magazines, or novels.

Third, when you read through a writer’s eyes, you attempt to answer the questions: How does the writer reveal the main idea? What types of details does the writer use? How does the writer achieve his or her purpose? How does the writer’s choice of words affect the reader? How does the writer not only use the technical conventions but also use tone, voice, place, chronology, and organization to make the story more attractive? If one can answer all these questions, one might improve knowledge and writing skills.

Fourth, you need to ask other questions when you reread the short story. You possibly might find some new experience or recall experiences from your past. In my experience in reading a short story, I enjoy reading a thrilling adventure, a remarkable discovery and a magical journey with the character in the story. Harry Potter is my favorite. A little genius boy had a fantastic journey and destroyed the dark force. When I was deep into the story, I felt those details become realistic by asking questions: What is the major conflict in Harry Potter? It seems as if I was walking into another dimension where I found beautiful images and a fascinating world.

In short, while it may be easy to comprehend a short story, knowing how to ask a good question and create an exciting story is essential. Hence, reading with a writer's eyes, you might understand more deeply by using the questions WHAT? WHY? and HOW? Understanding the writer's perspectives and styles, you will figure out the messages hidden in the story that the writer wants to convey. With great questions, you can dig deeper into the writer's style. The questions also help you to explore and connect to other characters from the stories that you read. Truly, there are many ways to read and comprehend a short story through a writer’s eyes. 

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Bich Vu is a senior at Calumet College who came from Dong Nai, Viet Nam. She will graduate from Calumet College of St. Joseph with a degree in English Creative Writing in December 2018. She wants to make a meaningful contribution with her critical, analytical and creative writing skills.