Off to carry mail for the postal service today. This morning, while watching the fire in the masonry stove, I got the chance to read more of Micheal Perry's "Handbook for Freelance Wriging. I'm glad he put this line in there: "First, you must read for yourself. I'm not an academically prepared writer; I have a bachelor's degree in nursing, for Pete's sake. I consider myself a dilettante. I keep waiting to get caught; for someone to say, hey wait a minute, this guy's FAKING it! Not only am I not well-versed in the academics of literature, I can barely hum the chorus.When I'm in literary company, I feel the impostor. I have the greatest respect for those with an understanding of the mechanics and theory of writing, regardless of the genre. I can't diagram a sentence. I can't define the terms split infinitive or comma splice. But I can string together generally acceptable prose. Why? I have to believe it's a result of reading." [Pg.13]
I use to think to become a writer you had to know the mechanics of writing before you could become one.
No comments:
Post a Comment