Improve your writing by reading like an author.
Discover a simple, efficient way to learn the elements of a good novel—by doing what you already love.
Buy now.“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
-Stephen King
Your love of reading is why you became a writer. It’s also the key to learning how to write novels that readers can’t put down.
Usually, we read for fun without paying too much attention to how a story is constructed.
You have to read thousands of books this way before your subconscious mind absorbs enough information about story structure and characters to write your own amazing stories.
There’s a way to speed up that process.
Reading smarter by critically examining books and taking notes enables you to learn from the pros faster than you would otherwise.
Introducing The Essential Reading Journal for Writers.
The Essential Reading Journal was developed by professional authors to guide you through the process of analyzing the books you read.
With clear questions that force you to examine stories, it helps you to focus on what matters most in order to improve your writing.
Discover how authors construct characters, plot, worldbuilding, and descriptions so you can apply this to your own writing.
Not only that, the journal includes a built-in tracker to organize all your notes so you can quickly find them when you need inspiration for your work.
With numbered pages and an index that records books by their strengths, you’ll always be able to find your notes.
Need help with character development or descriptions? Check your journal’s index and find all the books you’ve read with amazing characters or immersive descriptions.
Reading strengthens the writing muscle.
Our journal guides you through analyzing the key elements of a novel, so that you learn what matters most for better writing.
Track character arcs, plot, and worldbuilding to uncover what other authors do well—and what they do poorly.
Learn from their mistakes so you can avoid the same pitfalls.
Loaded with features to hone your craft.
25 questions to focus your reading so you can learn from the pros.
Analyze characters, plot, worldbuilding, and descriptions.
Numbered pages and index with space to track a book’s strengths. Find inspiration and notes easily.
Coil binding so it will lie flat for easy note taking.
Reading tracker to help develop a daily reading habit
To-be-read list to track all the books you can’t wait to read.
7x10 page size so you have lots of room to record everything you learn.
Your choice of inspirational glossy cover.
Look inside The Essential Reading Journal.
Available in print and digital download. FREE Shipping on print orders to the USA.
Save $15 when you buy the print and digital versions together!
Get the best of both worlds: A hard copy to write down all your notes and a digital copy to print worksheets for future book reading.
Your choice of cover:
What writers are saying about The Essential Character Creation Blueprint and Workbook:
FAQ
Can’t I just read books without analyzing them?
You can, and eventually, you’ll absorb enough info that you’ll be able to write books that readers will love. But thoughtful reading and note taking speeds up the process. It makes the lessons you learn through reading concrete and gives you a fount of inspiration to turn to while stuck in your own work.
Both methods work, but smarter reading means you can write better books sooner.
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Can't I take notes in any old place? Why do I need a special journal?
Yep, you can take notes anywhere! However, it’s tricky to know where to start or what to focus on in order to improve your writing. Our journal is designed to guide you through analyzing the key elements of a novel so you learn what makes a novel binge-worthy (or not).
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This feels like a book report.
It is, in the sense that you’re thinking deeply about a novel rather than just reading it and moving on. True, it’s not as fun as “normal” reading, but developing a skill, such as engaging writing, takes work.