Today I “took a break from working on my manuscript” to check my email. It linked me to a writing advice article by Paul Harding. Good stuff. This is what rang most true to me:
“It is true even though everyone says it is that you need to read and read a lot and read the best books. Not only do you need to read the best books, you need to read them well…. Aspire to be a world class reader.” Read the rest of the article here.
Being able to read something critically and with deep attention to craft is one of the best ways to become a better writer. That is one of the things that is so wonderful about being involved in an MFA program – it forces the academic-style critical analysis that can transform an average reader into a reader for whom every text is a lesson. Therefore, I see ever book I read well as another step toward becoming a better writer.
I know that not everyone agrees, and here’s the rub: Won’t that take all the fun out of reading? I don’t think so. Jane Doonan wrote “Finding the source of the experience does not diminish it in any way.” She was writing about picture books, but I am sure she means to refer to all kinds of literature. Figuring out what works (and what doesn’t) is the surest way to make good choices in your own manuscripts. I mean, if you wanted to become a great magician, you would learn how to perform the illusions, right?
Okay, now back to my own revisions…
Story Catching 
Thoughts?