Thursday, August 19, 2010

Let Your Reading Hone Your Writing

Those of us who are writers can enhance our craft by reading. While I don't think I need to tear apart my current choice for leisure literature, I can add to my skills by paying attention to what I love (or hate) about what I read. Francine Prose tackled this concept in her book Reading Like a Writer. You can preview it here. Perhaps it's too pedagogic for your tastes, but maybe it's just what you need to get started.

My basic suggestion is that you read more. Expand your horizons. Use the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon's website to read the first part of a book. How did the author do getting your attention and holding your interest? HarperCollins has a great site for browsing their books--some are fully accessible, others are just a preview. Also look into sites with books online like Bartleby, Project Gutenberg, and The Book Depository (my book is available here--though you have to pay for it; but it does ship for free).

Read something today, and be inspired!

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