Advice to writers: Read ceaselessly.
by Todd Foley
Hello, world. I’ve missed you.
I’ve definitely neglected this blog lately, and for that I am sorry. However, I have a (somewhat) decent excuse: I’ve been reading far too much!
Novels have taken up the majority of my time, but I also love reading up on advice from other writers. Today, I stumbled across this gem from David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker:
“The greatest symbol of what writing is about is the full text version of the Oxford English Dictionary. The CD-ROM version is nice, but the physical enormity of the printed text gives a writer a sense of humility (if that is still possible), because the mountain to be scaled is the language. Auden used to sit on the first volume while at the dinner table, the better to stay even with language and with dinner. Any good teacher I’ve ever had—and the best was John McPhee—stressed the enormity of choice English provides, its capacity for clarity and ambiguity, dullness and thrill. It is the greatest invention ever devised (and re-devised). And, of course, the only way to get anywhere as a writer is to have read ceaselessly and then read some more. Pound (that rat) says somewhere that it is incredible to him that so many “poets” simply pick up a pen and start writing verse and call it poetry, while a would-be pianist knows full well how necessary it is to master scales and thousands of exercises before making music worthy of the name. Playing scales, for a writer, means reading. Is there any real writing that has no reading behind it? I don’t think so.”
David Remnick
What have you been reading lately?
scribbled revisions 
[…] Advice to writers: Read ceaselessly. (scribbledrevisions.com) […]
My mother bought English-major-me the “short OED for my 21st birthday. I use the 2 volumes as free weights.
As for reading (besides my Lifespan Development textbook), I’m almost done with 419 by Will Ferguson. He tends to write humour or travel, but this ‘departure’ is definitely worth the read. Plus, you’ll appreciate that one of the main characters is a copy editor by profession. 🙂
I certainly imagine that those would suffice as weights! I think I would most definitely appreciate that book. Thanks for the recommendation!
Good to see you are back on it Todd =)
I credit any good thought I ever had to a) my mom and b) reading a crazy amount of great literature when I was a kid. I’m afraid that Great Expectations gave me some strange notions of growing up and being a gentleman, but Thoreau, the founding fathers, and a host of other writers helped. Whenever I get stressed out I turn to Hemingway or James Baldwin. It’s like Hemingway gets to be this strong, direct voice, and Baldwin is the careful, nuanced inner voice that I wish I could speak in. Also I just thoughtfully reread Raisins in the Sun by Langston Hughes….sad but appropriate for these times.
Great to have you back as well, Joe! 🙂
I love what you say about the benefits of reading a ton as a child. I had a similar experience and am so thankful for that. Thoreau is quite an experience, eh? I remember reading his “Walking” essay in high school, and it truly was a defining moment for me as a young man (and still is today). It’s awesome how there truly is an author/voice fitting for any state of being.
Thanks for stopping by, friend!