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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Monday, February 27, 2023

Evenings with Great Authors by Sherwin Cody, Volume 1, 1868-1959

Evenings with Great Authors by Sherwin Cody, 1868-1959

Evenings with Great Authors by Sherwin Cody, Volume 1

1868-1959

 

Contents

HOW AND WHAT TO READ    1
    
What Constitutes a Good Essay?     10
    
What Constitutes a Good Novel    16
    
Landmarks in Modern Literature.    27
    
The Best Poetry and How to Read    37
    
How to Study Shakespeare    50
    
The Best English Essays   59
    
Old Novels that are Good    66
    
The Realistic Novelists Dickens Thack    86
    
The Short Story Poe Hawthorne    101
    
AN EVENING WITH SHAKESPEARE    141
    
His Life and Works     167
    
His Life and Character     301
    
Speeches    321
    
Anecdotes    349
    
Copyright   

The Romantic Novelists Scott Hugo     73
    

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