Read Like A Writer

There are two ways to learn how to write fiction: by reading it and by writing it. Yes, you can learn lots about writing stories in workshops, in writing classes and writing groups, at writers' conferences. You can learn technique and process by reading the dozens of books like this one on fiction writing and by reading articles in writers' magazines. But the best teachers of fiction are the great works of fiction themselves. You can learn more about the structure of a short story by reading Anton Chekhov's 'Heartache' than you can in a semester of Creative Writing 101. If you read like a writer, that is, which means you have to read everything twice, at least. When you read a story or novel the first time, just let it happen. Enjoy the journey. When you've finished, you know where the story took you, and now you can go back and reread, and this time notice how the writer reached that destination. Notice the choices he made at each chapter, each sentence, each word. (Every word is a choice.) You see now how the transitions work, how a character gets across a room. All this time you're learning. You loved the central character in the story, and now you can see how the writer presented the character and rendered her worthy of your love and attention. The first reading is creative—you collaborate with the writer in making the story. The second reading is critical.


John Dufresne, from his book, The Lie That Tells A Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

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Thursday, May 26, 2022

Song by Langston Hughes - 1901-1967

Song 

 

by Langston Hughes

 (1901-1967)


Lovely, dark, and lonely one, 
Bare your bosom to the sun, 
Do not be afraid of light
You who are a child of night. 

Open wide your arms to life, 
Whirl in the wind of pain and strife, 
Face the wall with the dark closed gate, 
Beat with bare, brown fists
And wait. 


Buy Langston Hughes Books at Amazon

 

About the Author 

 

James Mercer Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes  (1902-1967) was the first black writer in America to earn his living from writing. Born in Joplin, Missouri, he had a migratory childhood following his parents’ separation, spending time in the American Mid-West and Mexico. He was a poet, novelist, fiction writer, and playwright, Langston Hughes is known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties and was important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry. Learn more at Wikipedia.
 
Born: February 1, 1901, Joplin, MO
Died: May 22, 1967, Stuyvesant Polyclinic
Education: Lincoln University (1926–1929), Columbia University (1921–1922), Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, and more
Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada, Spingarn Medal, Quill Award for Poetry, and more

 

About This Poem

"Song" appeared in The New Negro: An Interpretation (Albert & Charles Boni, Inc., 1925). 

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