/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.1958769]

"The essential trait needed to be a good writer is to be a good reader"

How so?
Like I'm not challenging it I'm just interested to see how your reading habits reflect on, or condition your writing skills.

[Anonymous No.1958774]

Skills don't develop in a vacuum. You need to read far and wide to gain understanding of what is possible, what works and does not work, what makes for compelling reading, etc.

[Anonymous No.1958790]

bump

[Anonymous No.1958819]

bumping for curiosity

[Anonymous No.1958871]

If you read more you get a better grasp of language and how to use it.

[Anonymous No.1958881]

Try this. Pick a piece of writing you really like. Now copy it out by hand. Force yourself to think about every single word and phrase that was put in, and why. Good readers give writing their full attention. Good writers do the same.

[Anonymous No.1958889]

>>1958881

I think I remember some writer doing that with Great Gatsby. He just typed the whole book out 2-3 times. Might have been Thompson.

[Anonymous No.1958898]

>>1958889
Yeah that was Thompson, and does this really work? I read how Thomas Jefferson did the same sort of thing - where he'd take a piece of writing, pick out the salient points then rewrite using his description. He did that repeatedly to hone his writing ability.

Seemed like a great idea.

[Anonymous No.1958902]

>>1958898

I don't know. Although from personal experience, I retyped the opening to "Dhalgren" on here the other night, and it certainly made me appreciate it more.

[Anonymous No.1958903]

>>1958889

he copied it 127 times

[Anonymous No.1958910]

>>1958903

Ahhh, that's got to be that anecdote taking on weight of its own over the years, if it's that high :\ I just can't buy 127, even for someone as batshit as Thompson

[Anonymous No.1958932]

>>1958881
Can you just transcribe the book and put it online while you're at it? That's what I did for Rings of Saturn. It's a good technique.