On writers and writing
Talking editing and writing —
and other reflections on working with words
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Why do we write? I’d say we write out of a desire to explore and to learn. Out of a desire to explain, to clarify, to share.
If writing is something you don’t do with great regularity, if it’s something you face with a bit of trepidation — or if you perhaps need a little refresher — these notes are for you.
How do you set out to become a writer? Not the business of it, but the actual doing of it. The actual mastery of it.
First of all, read. Read a lot.
What sort of writing calls to you? Read widely in a range of genres, but of the writing you yourself hope one day to do, read the undisputed masters. And then compare that work with the work of lesser writers.
