I believe writers have to read. I don’t have scientific data to prove the “why” of the claim; I only know that my writing improves the more I immerse myself in the writing of others. Such writing may be easy to read, and some of it may be difficult. Almost all of it makes me uncomfortable in some way. It challenges me to think through a subject, to explore how ideas in the work interact with my own, or to study how the writing itself works. As I do so, my own work grows. It initially takes on characteristics of what I’m reading, then my writing absorbs what I’ve learned and experienced. The form becomes something that is mine, something that is distinctively “Erin.”
Archives for January 2013
Three Words: 2013 Edition
A number of my friends and acquaintances use Chris Brogan’s “three words” concept. I’ve yet to use it, mostly because I feel an odd resistance to being tied to a certain set of words. That being said, I see the value in the limitation. It brings a focus to what one plans and hopes to do. It causes a person to pause and to think about what three words capture his or her aims. Declaring them publicly results in an accountability to those words and the goals attached to them. Because of that, I’ve decided to give the “three words” a try.
Hello, 2013
Thus, it begins. A new year. Some people dread it already. Some make resolutions for it. Others feel hopeful about the new year.