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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Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Inspiring Quotes About Writing



Here are inspiring quotes about writing from famous authors to fuel your creativity:

  1. Stephen King: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”
  2. Annie Proulx: “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”
  3. Eudora Welty: “Indeed, learning to write may be part of learning to read. For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.”
  4. William Faulkner: “Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”
  5. Robert Louis Stevenson: “I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.”
  6. Ernest Gaines: “The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.”
  7. Samuel Johnson: “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
  8. Lisa See: “Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.”
  9. Mary B. W. Tabor: “One sure window into a person’s soul is his reading list.”

Remember, inspiration often lies just around the corner of life. 

Happy writing! 

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