Ask yourself:
1. What structure has the author chosen? Is the story chronological – does it start at the beginning and move straight from one event to the other? Does it instead use flashbacks or jump around from past to present to future? How does the chronology of the story affect the reader’s understanding of events?
2. What form is being used? If you are reading a picture book, for example, is it a rhyming book? A recount? A fairy tale? Is the story told using diary entries, letters, emails or using narrative prose? Again, how does the form affect you as reader?
3. What point of view is being used? Is the story told in first person (I/we), second person (you – this is very unusual) or third person (he/she/they)? If third person, is it a limited perspective or omnipotent?
4. Are there any parts of the story which jar as you read them? Why? Is it word choice? Poor exposition?
5. How do you feel about their characters? Are there characters you love? Hate? Feel indifferent to? Do you think the author means you to feel that way, or is there a problem with the character portrayal?
These are only some of the elements you can consider as you read. There are dozens more questions you can ask yourself as you read. You may find that if you are new to writing you need to consciously ask yourself these questions during and after the reading process, but as you get used to reading as a writer, you will find that things jump out at you unbidden.
The purpose of all this questioning and exploring is to make you aware of the craft used by other writers, so that you can improve your own craft. The point is not to copy everything you see, but to gradually unearth a variety of elements which you can draw on in your own writing. By seeing how different writers develop their storylines, for example, you can develop different strategies for your varying plots. By examining the use of different points of view, you can come to understand the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Some writers read books twice – once as a reader, cover to cover, the next as a writer, taking mental or physical notes as they go. This might work for you, but can be time consuming.
Get into the habit of reading as a writer and you will, in time, see your own writing improve. So, what are you waiting for? Go and read a book.
In some respects, being a writer has spoilt reading for me. I have become a much more critical reader, far less willing to suspend disbelief and enter the fictive dream. I can forgive a couple of minor typos, but wordiness or authorial intrusion leave me reaching for the next book.
Strangely enough, those problems don’t seem to bother me in my own writing!