What does it mean to you to read like a writer?

Before I attempted writing, I read and took what was written on the pages for granted. I had never considered how hard it is to construct a sentence, a paragraph, a dialogue, a character, a relationship, a scene… AND to make all these things work together. Reading like a writer to me means to appreciate the art, the craft of another writer. I am often amazed at how hard it is to deliver what is in my mind into writing. It all seems so clear and so clever in my head but when I try to put my ideas down, the clarity escapes the pages and what seemed clever once now dull, and pretentious. To read someone else’s work and see how well it is delivered calls for the writer in me to marvel and applaud. Often times I find myself thinking, God, I can’t believe she/he did that! or, I wish I had thought of that! In a way, writers are connected in our craft, or rather, the journey into our craft. We sweat the same sweat, grunt the same grunt, and we nod at each other with a knowing of the joys and pains on this path. And of course, we steal from each other. Well, I am sure there’s not much for others to steal from me… yet. But as writers, other than writing, we learn the most from reading. Whatever area of techniques we have problems with, we automatically read for it in other people’s writings. This is most helpful, which reminds me, I should get reading.