The Writing Life
I debated the title of this article throughout the morning, which is no surprise. I frequently argue with myself about words and punctuation marks. (Is this a sign I’m a writer? Perhaps, perhaps.) Should I say “best” or “favorite”? “Best” implies a standard of quality—one hopes an objective standard, yet the word often falls victim to conceptions of taste rather than quality. Not “best,” then.
[Read more…] about Favorite Reads of 2021
In a recent e-letter, I made a distinction between reading critically and reading for entertainment. I’m of the opinion that good books meet both demands, but I also recognize that one type of reading can occur in the absence of the other. I can read to be entertained. I can read to learn. I can read to be both delighted and informed.
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.”
I’ve never been one for reading a book or series of books because of the hype surrounding them. Harry Potter? No. The series with the sparkly vampire? Negative. The Hunger Games? Yes. I read those books.
It* seems that every time a new Harry Potter film comes to theatres, I have to have the following conversation and answer the following questions:
“Have you seen the new Harry Potter movie?”
“No.”
“Have you read the books?”
“No.”
“What do you read?” (sometimes accompanied by a tone of indictment)
“Well…”
