Just read Stephanie Danler’s memoir Stray, so achingly good, and really loved Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Total fierceness in each, really admirable truth-telling put together so artfully. 👏
Wanting to write without wanting to read is...a choice. How could you possibly know how to write without reading other people, trying to imitate them, and failing in what will eventually become your own distinctive way?
Great post! The thought of only needing to focus on your own work and ignore the current space is so mind-boggling. I cannot imagine being a writer and not being in awe of what your contemporaries are up to.
This is a great post--I'm sharing it with my novel writing students who seem to have problems understanding the value of recent comps. And The New Yorker fiction podcast is so good for listening to writers talk about writing. So many great recs here!
You popped up in my feed, So, I thought, ‘I’ll give it a read...’
I really did enjoy it! Thank you.
I’m having a moment where I’m like “where do I know this name from..❔” - I’ll work it out, but you obvs already made an impression on my mind someplace, sometime.
The Reading is 95% of my Read/Write balance at the moment. But, a huge but... when I do write, I find the stuff coming into my mental feed is so much better than if I hadn’t read this much.
I once read some ‘wisdom’ that said “If you want to be a truly nuanced writer, Read 5 Different types of content a day, for true diversity of knowledge ergo, thoughts. It was something like: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Article, Academically Oriented and a ‘Wild Card’ whatever, something as simple as an ad in a mag, or newspaper, or even... the label on something!
I just registered for your class with my birthday money! Can’t wait!
Just read Stephanie Danler’s memoir Stray, so achingly good, and really loved Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Total fierceness in each, really admirable truth-telling put together so artfully. 👏
Wanting to write without wanting to read is...a choice. How could you possibly know how to write without reading other people, trying to imitate them, and failing in what will eventually become your own distinctive way?
Great post! The thought of only needing to focus on your own work and ignore the current space is so mind-boggling. I cannot imagine being a writer and not being in awe of what your contemporaries are up to.
This is a great post--I'm sharing it with my novel writing students who seem to have problems understanding the value of recent comps. And The New Yorker fiction podcast is so good for listening to writers talk about writing. So many great recs here!
Why hardback fiction? Am I a lesser person for preferring bendable covers?
You popped up in my feed, So, I thought, ‘I’ll give it a read...’
I really did enjoy it! Thank you.
I’m having a moment where I’m like “where do I know this name from..❔” - I’ll work it out, but you obvs already made an impression on my mind someplace, sometime.
The Reading is 95% of my Read/Write balance at the moment. But, a huge but... when I do write, I find the stuff coming into my mental feed is so much better than if I hadn’t read this much.
I once read some ‘wisdom’ that said “If you want to be a truly nuanced writer, Read 5 Different types of content a day, for true diversity of knowledge ergo, thoughts. It was something like: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Article, Academically Oriented and a ‘Wild Card’ whatever, something as simple as an ad in a mag, or newspaper, or even... the label on something!
Thanks, Amy.
This is non-fiction/memoir but I absolutely love “Son of Elsewhere” by Elamin Abdelmahmoud
That tweeeeeeeet 🏆🏆🏆 Hilarious
Good subby! You gotta support other writers and see what’s out there and also reading is fun!
LOVE all of this! Also, with regards to recently published favorite book: Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter is really beautiful.
love this!! in my reading life, i'm always trying to read more ALIVE poets, for a lot of the reasons you've said in this piece.