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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How Do I Get My Start as a Writer?

How Do I Get My Start as a Writer?

How Do I Get My Start as a Writer?

 

 

HERE'S THE ANSWER

First, don’t stop believing you can write; there is no reason to think you can’t write until you have tried. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts are rejected. That happens to the best authors, even to those who have "arrived." Remember, too, that there is no age limit in the writing profession. Conspicuous success has come to both young and old writers.

Where to begin, then? The best way to learn to write is to read everything that interests you, then get busy writing. There is no better way to get published than to get busy writing. Gain experience, the "know how." Understand how to use words. Then you can construct the word-buildings that now are vague, misty shapes in your mind.

 

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