Oh why the hell not…I’m doing it anyway; I may as well read Francine Prose’s book to make sure I’m doing it right.
Just about cracked the cover, but I’m liking this confirmation of my own thoughts:
Like most–maybe all–writers, I learned to write by writing and, by example, reading books.
Long before the idea of a writer’s conference was a glimmer in anyone’s eye, writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors.
What writers know is that, ultimately, we learn to write by practice, hard work, trial and error, success and failure, and from the books we admire. (p. 2-4)
Practice, yes, but only if you’re reading as well. You can print the letter B incorrectly forever if you’ve not seen the correct way to form it.
Prose does mention osmosis, and I believe that that is a large part of it. Particularly in vocabulary. Particularly if we bother to look up the meaning. Just as a child learns to speak before he knows about subject/verb/object or has heard of adjectives and adverbs, he has learned by listening to put sentences together.
Since I read for bother enjoyment and to learn, which is why I don’t read Danielle Steel, this book should both give me some new insight and reiterate the need for patience and development of close reading skills.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
I’m so excited I had to tell someone who cares.
Just got Dan Simmon’s latest, “The Terror.”
It looks frigidly long, aka many of my past girlfriends.
I enjoyed his “Ilium” and “Olympus.” But methinks the publishers were pressing him on the latter because he did not tie up plot lines.