Daniel Darling's Blog, page 37

The Way Home featuring Jamie C. Martin

How can Christian parents encourage their kids to read books? I’m joined by Jamie C. Martin, author of a great new book, Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time[image error]. Jamie is a homeschooling mother and a writer. She and her husband have three children, including two adopted from overseas.

Show Notes

Twitter: @jamie_cmartin
Website: steadymom.com
Book: Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time [image error]

Editor Series: Richard Clark Asks: “What Can You Give the World That No One Else Can?”

This year I’m starting an occasional series of interviews with editors. I’ve had the privilege of knowing, writing for, and learning from many fantastic editors in my writing career. In my view, good writers are good because they have good editors. Today I interview Richard Clark, the online managing editor of Christianity Today. CT has meant much to me, allowing me opportunities and a platform to grow as a writer.

Richard is an incredibly gifted writer and editor. Prior to that he helped found and edit Christ and Pop Culture. I have had the opportunity to work with Richard quite a bit over the last few years and have learned much from him.

Dan Darling: Let’s talk about your calling. Has writing and editing been a lifetime pursuit or something you picked up late in life? And if so, what first interested in you in words?

Richard Clark: I became conscious of my affinity for editing relatively late in life – at least, well after I had spent 8 years in higher-education getting theology degrees. But honestly, I should have known. This kind of work has always been a theme in my life. From elementary school through high school I was involved in creating newsletters and “zines.” I had one about saving the whales in elementary school, one about videogames in middle school (It was called “Controller Overload”), a Christian zine in high school, and another in college. I didn’t do super-well in school, but my favorite class by far was English.

This realization didn’t really hit me, though, until I started a relatively successful website (Christ and Pop Culture). I found the whole experience so rewarding, and not even in predictable ways. Yes, I loved refining and improving articles, but even more than that I loved the management aspects of the work. I loved finding voices and getting them out there. I loved making decisions about audience, about what needed to be said, and defining the voice of an outlet.

So in terms of calling, I’m really less interested in words than I am in people, and their respective ideas. I’m obsessed with understanding, appreciating, and connecting people with others through their ideas. For me, it’s about connection and mutual understanding more than anything. This can’t happen without words, but they’re a means to an end, not the end itself.

DD: We live in an age when anyone can be published instantly via social media, personal blogs, book reviews, etc. Explain, then the value, of a good editor?

RC: Because words are so useful, I’ve seen over time the way wrong words can be used wrongly or recklessly to destroy progress, obfuscate truth, and break relationships. I’ve always loved editing, but it took me a while to see the inherent value and crucial role it plays in our society.

It goes beyond preventing writers from saying something stupid. Editors think about – obsess over, really – their particular audience. They agonize over questions like “What do they need to hear? What will help them hear it? What will help our outlet and this writer build good will, and what will squander it?”

Trust is in short supply these days, and we gravitate toward the outlets we trust implicitly. This leaves us seldom challenged and in the habit of writing off those we disagree with. The editor’s value is that he works to build trust with an audience that is stingy with their loyalty (and understandably so). Once I’ve done that, I can vouch for people or ideas that otherwise wouldn’t have the ear of my readers.

It may feel nice to “just say it,” and there’s room for that in our personal conversations. But the bigger the platform, the more competing starting points and constituencies come into play. I don’t really want the writer to have to think about that as much when they’re writing, but I want them to live and think charitably toward their fellow man. Then I want them to say what they want to say, with a little guidance from me. And then if there’s some way we can make that even more affecting or persuasive, we’ll make those changes later.

DD: Is there a distinctly “Christian” way you do your work? In other words, does your personal theology affect the practice of writing and editing?

RC: Christianity Today’s current editorial guidelines were formally re-introduced as “Beautiful Orthodoxy” right before I got here, and they’ve been hugely instructive to me over the last year or so. It’s nothing too world-changing, but it’s been an anchor for me. Is it good, true, and beautiful? Does it reflect God’s love and grace? And is it true?

This is harder to do than you think. It’s insidiously easy to pre-judge or assume the motives of whole swaths of people. Just my understanding of total depravity tells me not only that writers need editors, but that editors need editors too.

All this in mind: grace, grace, grace. I put a lot of stock in my work. Sometimes, too much, too the point where I can overstate my influence over the general shape of reality. But it does matter, and it’s impossible to convince myself otherwise. So when I screw up, or don’t do “enough” (whatever that is) to solve or address an issue, I can be incredibly down on myself.

That’s when I have found it incredibly valuable to remember God’s sovereignty, the reality of God’s grace, and that he uses imperfect vessels to accomplish glorious ends.

Man, I’m glad you asked that question. I needed that.

DD: When you are making decisions about content to publish, how are you evaluating the writer, the piece, and the publication?

RC: Are they interested in persuading, rather than merely getting their opinion out there? Are their ideas something our readers need to hear, or are they something they already believe or have heard a million times. If they do already believe it, does reminding them of that truth help?

And, lest I sound too idealistic – will people care to read it? If not, is there a way to make them care?

These answers are vague and broad for a reason. Most of it comes down to impulse. Which is tricky, because my impulses are restricted based on my own perspective and biases. So I try and step out of myself sometimes and emulate the impulses of someone else as much as possible.

My ideal situation is a writer pitches an idea I would have never thought of, and it’s not quite right for CT, but we get on the phone and make it work. Those are really satisfying times.

DD: Who are some of the formative writing influences that have shaped the way you go about your work?

RC: I’m most shaped by the people I work with. I can’t say enough about the influence of my co-founding partner at Christ and Pop Culture, Alan Noble, who taught me (through general collaborative friction) some of my best editorial instincts. Writers shape me every time. The one’s I’ve been editing for a while have shaped me in major ways: D. L. Mayfield, Martyn Jones, Derek Rishmawy. These are writers I’ve known since Christ and Pop Culture’s early days, and their voices ring in my heads. I haven’t worked with him as much as I’d like, but I’m inspired by someone like Jemar Tisby’s singular, unwavering vision on display via his work at RAAN.

To a lesser extent, I’m shaped by writers who helped me to look at complex, controversial ideas in unexpected, guard-dropping ways: C.S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, Harper Lee, Flannery O’ Conner, more recently Ta-Nehisi Coates. All of those authors are subversive in their own way, often persuading the reader of ideas through seemingly sideways means.

DD: What is one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring writers as they seek to get published?

RC: When your editor says “No thanks,” it’s not about you as a writer, it’s about their editorial needs. If an editor gives suggestions for revision, almost always take them – push back only when absolutely necessary. Your editor has an understanding of the audience that goes well beyond what you could imagine. It’s not a question of the editor being better or smarter, it’s a matter of submersion. He eats, drinks, and sleeps his outlet, and he knows what will work for its readers.

Be open to and ready to rewrite. The very best pieces are total rewrites of first drafts. This is a depressing, frustrating reality, every time. But it’s all for the aim of creating something that is great, not just good.

Start with a blog. Then write for small outlets, and gravitate toward ones that edit writers, rather than just publish stuff as is. This will teach you better than anything else. Once you’ve written for small outlets for a while, aim high. You never know when a big-deal outlet might be intrigued by your pitch.

Most of all, ask: what can I give the world that no one else can? What is my unique place as a writer? It will take you a while to figure it out, but stick to it.

Figure out your lane and stay in it. Find a theme (maybe not a topic!) that you are passionate about and that you know better than most everyone else, and explore every angle. Don’t be afraid to be pigeonholed, because as long as it’s not a topic, you can apply that them to almost anything.

The Way Home featuring Brandon Smith

Why should evangelicals study the Reformation? How do the five solas of the Reformation affect our engagement with today’s culture? Brandon Smith, author of a brand-new study, Echoes of the Reformation[image error], joins me to discuss the Reformation, theology, and a brand-new Bible translation from B&H Publishing. Brandon works with Bibles and Reference at Lifeway Christian Resources and is the host of the Word Matters podcast. He is an adjunct teacher at California Baptist University.

Show Notes

Twitter: @brandonsmith85 and @wordmatterspod
Blog at Patheos
Book: Echoes of the Reformation[image error]

Editor Series: How different writing styles influenced Matthew Schmitz

This year I’m starting an occasional series of interviews with editors. I’ve had the privilege of knowing, writing for, and learning from many fantastic editors in my writing career. In my view, good writers are good because they have good editors. Today I interview the literary editor of First Things, Matthew Schmitz.

First Things is a terrific publication. I try to read most of the articles in every issue. It stimulates thinking on culture, faith, and life. I’ve had the honor of writing for them. Today I ask Matthew to answers some questions about his writing and editing approach.

Dan Darling: Let’s talk about your calling. Has writing and editing been a lifetime pursuit or something you picked up late in life? And if so, what first interested in you in words? 

Matthew Schmitz: My earliest ambition was to be either an electrician like my father, or an astronaut. Over time, my ambitions dimmed, and I thought the highest thing to which I could reasonably aspire was a life of writing. My interest in words started with my interest in the Word. I hoped to be a pastor and writer, and imagined that the center of my writing life would be the sermon. That plan had to be abandoned when I became a Catholic, though. A desire to be a pastor did not transfer into a calling to be a priest.

DD: We live in an age when anyone can be published instantly via social media, personal blogs, book reviews, etc. Explain, then the value, of a good editor? 

MS: An editor has distance from the words, something the writer, no matter how skillful, will never fully possess. Go back and reread something you wrote years ago. Some things will make you cringe. A good editor can catch those things before publication.

DD: Is there a distinctly “Christian” way you do your work? In other words, does your personal theology affect the practice of writing and editing? 

MS: I tend to think that Christin work is simply good work, and the rest is commentary.

DD: When you are making decisions about content to publish, how are you evaluating the writer, the piece, and the publication?

MS: My criterion is simple: Would I want to read this and recommend it to others? If not, I reject it. An editor must be ready to say “no.” Too many try to do favors for writers when they should instead be doing favors for readers.

DD: Who are some of the formative writing influences that have shaped the way you go about your work? 

MS: I’m not a mature writer and so tend to write in the style of whoever I’ve most recently read. Some recent favorites: John Henry Newman, Bernard of Clairvaux, Robert Louis Stevenson.

DD: What is one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring writers as they seek to get published? 

MS: Only write for places that pay for your work and edit it. Places that don’t pay have no incentive to make sure your work is good (they can just throw it online for clicks—especially hate clicks!). Of course, if you’re independently wealthy and the greatest stylist since Gibbon, you should publish things wherever you like.

The Editor Series: You can read other interviews in this series, with David Bennett, Jamie Hughes, Marvin Olasky, Matt Smethurst

Editor Series: Matt Smethurst on rap music and writing

This year I’m starting an occasional series of interviews with editors. I’ve had the privilege of knowing, writing for, and learning from many fantastic editors in my writing career. In my view, good writers are good because they have good editors. Today I interview Matt Smethurst.

Matt is the managing editor of The Gospel Coalition. I am deeply grateful for the way Matt and his colleagues at TGC curate rich, biblical, creative content that really helps pastors and church leaders. When I was a young pastor, TGC was a very helpful resource in helping me think through difficult theological issues. I’ve had the privilege of contributing to TGC. Matt here shares his approach to editing in a way that I think you will find helpful:

Dan Darling: Let’s talk about your calling. Has writing and editing been a lifetime pursuit or something you picked up late in life? And if so, what first interested in you in words? 

Matt Smethurst: Calling is not super mystical; it’s found at the crossroads of affinity, ability, and opportunity. Do you like it, can you do it, and is there an open door? By God’s grace, all three pieces have fallen into place, at least for now, in the arena of writing and editing.

As a kid I loved words, especially ones like, “And now, at guard, 6’6″, from North Carolina, Michael Jordan.” My plan was to become an NBA player, not an editor. But God closed that door, and he didn’t open a window.

In all seriousness, I owe a lot to my mom in this regard. She majored in English at William and Mary, and instilled in me a love for words. Her edits on countless school papers taught me what skilled writing looks and sounds like.

Perhaps I should also mention that I’ve loved rap for almost two decades. I have no doubt that the lyricism of secular artists like Eminem and Christian artists like Shai Linne has made me a better wordsmith.

DD: We live in an age when anyone can be published instantly via social media, personal blogs, book reviews, etc. Explain, then, the value of a good editor? 

MS: Good editors enhance a writer’s voice without eliminating it. It’s a dance that I’m still learning.

Candidly, I’ve found most people who write aren’t very good at it. I don’t mean to be harsh; it’s simply that the Internet has democratized the opportunity to be read. There are benefits to this, of course, but drawbacks too. Just because your writing is true doesn’t make it good. Did you labor to make it beautiful? Does it sing? In Reformed circles we often elevate theology at the expense of humanity and truth at the expense of beauty. It’s a tendency that rarely yields stellar prose.

Just as not being published doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer, being published doesn’t mean you’re a good one. Numerous pastors, for example, are authors but not writers. Welcome exceptions include Andrew Wilson, Greg Gilbert, Jared Wilson, Garrett Kell, Isaac Adams, Scott Sauls, Russ Ramsey, and Gavin Ortlund.

DD: Is there a distinctly “Christian” way you do your work? In other words, does your personal theology affect the practice of writing and editing? 

MS: Well if insisting on the Oxford comma and removing needless uses of “that” aren’t Christian convictions, then what are?

Everything we publish at TGC is informed by our foundation documents. We want to show how the gospel governs and animates all of life. This doesn’t mean each article needs some lame Jesus Juke at the end, but it does mean we want to be intentional about producing content that wouldn’t easily fit, say, on a Jewish site. We are gospel people, and that should fragrance our writing. (No, “fragrance” isn’t a real verb. I need an editor.)

DD: When you are making decisions about content to publish, how are you evaluating the writer, the piece, and the publication?

MS: Questions I’ll encourage aspiring writers to ask include: Where and how have you seen God’s character, and his gospel in particular, intersect with your experience? What’s a concrete challenge you’ve faced, and what did you learn? What stories can only you tell?

It’s almost always the case that the more specific and personal the angle, the better. “The Most Important Thing I Taught My Kids” will make for a better article than “Advice for Parents.”

DD: Who are some of the formative writing influences that have shaped the way you go about your work? 

MS: Besides my mother, Collin Hansen (TGC’s editorial director) has shaped my editorial instincts more than anyone else. Some contemporary writers I enjoy include Laura Hillenbrand, Malcolm Gladwell, Russell Moore, Kevin DeYoung, Jonathan Leeman, and Jen Wilkin. And the women I work with at TGC—Bethany Jenkins, Betsy Howard, and Melissa Kruger—are each brilliant thinkers and writers from whom I’ve learned much.

DD: What is one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring writers as they seek to get published? 

MS: Proactively seek out constructive criticism. Your craft won’t master itself. One of our regular writers at TGC recently e-mailed to ask how she can work to improve her writing in 2017. She didn’t act as if she’s arrived, and she didn’t wait around for someone else to initiate. Humble yourself, assume you’re less skilled than you think, and then solicit critique from a writer you respect who will give you the gift of honesty.

The Editor Series: You can read other interviews in this series, with David Bennett, Jamie Hughes, Marvin Olasky

The Way Home: Michael Wear on serving in the White House

What is it like for a Christian to work in the White House? And should Christians be engaged in politics at the highest levels? Today I’m joined by my good friend, Michael Wear. Michael was also one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: He served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama’s first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage engagement on religious and values issues, including adoption and anti-human trafficking efforts.

He joins me today to talk about his new book, Reclaiming Hope in which he shares his insights on working in the White House and what Christians can learn from his experience and why, despite the cynicism and failure, Christians should continue to be engaged on politics.

Show Notes

Twitter: @MichaelRWear
Website: michaelwear.com
Book: Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America [image error]

The Way Home featuring Erik and Catherine Parks

How should Christians approach movies? What does our art tell us about the world? Erik and Catherine Parks join me to discuss their favorite movies of 2016, what moves them, and how to evaluate cinema as a Christian. Catherine Parks is a writer who contributes to Christianity Today, Gospel Coalition, and other places. Erik is a well-regarded filmaker and writer.

Show Notes

Twitter: @Erik_Parks1 and @CathParks
Website: cathparks.com and awalkintheparksmovieblog.blogspot.com
Book: A Christ-Centered Wedding: Rejoicing in the Gospel on Your Big Day [image error]

Editor Series: David Bennett on the impact of storytelling

This year I’m starting an occasional series of interviews with editors. I’ve had the privilege of knowing, writing for, and learning from many fantastic editors in my writing career. In my view, good writers are good because they have good editors. Today I interview David Bennett.

My friend David is a terrific editor. He serves at Lifeway Christian Resources as managing editor of Homelife, where I’m privileged to write a monthly column. I’ve been working with David for many years and am grateful for the way he’s sharpened my writing.

Dan Darling: Let’s talk about your calling. Has writing and editing been a lifetime pursuit or something you picked up late in life? And if so, what first interested in you in words? 

David Bennett: I’ve always loved stories. From my earliest preschool memories, I spent a great deal of time spread out on the floor of my family’s living room illustrating and writing. I could have gone either way, but writing began to consume me.

DD: We live in an age when anyone can be published instantly via social media, personal blogs, book reviews, etc. Explain, then the value, of a good editor? 

DB: The role of editor is more than proof reading. Editors can help writers tell their stories or get a message across more effectively. They also provide accountability, which is necessary for many creative types. In the end, everything is about relationships. The writer-editor relationship can provide friendship, encouragement, and challenge.

DD: Is there a distinctly “Christian” way you do your work? In other words, does your personal theology affect the practice of writing and editing? 

DB: Although I often fail miserably at it, Christ’s compassion motivates much of what I do. The work I do does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but I find myself more and more giving someone “that chance.” I am aware of the truth that my ideas, relationships, and work should honor God. Working with faith-based publications can either keep me focused on my relationship with Jesus or give me a pass on my personal time with God … I mean, after all, I encounter God’s Word everyday, all day as I work as an editor, so do I really need to take time to spend time alone with my Father? (Yes, I do.)

DD: When you are making decisions about content to publish, how are you evaluating the writer, the piece, and the publication?

DB: Trustworthy content is the key. Conservative evangelical is the message. More than ever before, I go to social media to prayerfully consider if a prospective writer is (intentionally or unintentionally) distracting from God’s message of grace, love, and forgiveness. Once printed, the smallest distraction can turn into a huge ordeal. I feel like I need to be a good keeper of the Word.

DD: Who are some of the formative writing influences that have shaped the way you go about your work? 

DB: The piece I am editing at the time teaches and influences me. At one time it was curriculum. Then it was short-term studies. Now it’s magazines and devotionals. Each format is unique. My favorite writers don’t seem to impact the work I do. I seem to have formative writers that have shaped who I am and then other influences that inform what I do. Writers —mostly classic and “dead poets” — make me who I am. Unnamed processes guide the actual work I do.

DD: What is one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring writers as they seek to get published? 

DB: Your work will be rejected, but don’t take it personally. You aren’t being rejected. There are many ways to get your message out. Don’t just shoot for the big publishers. And whatever you do, hit your deadlines.

The Way Home featuring David Prince

What does our love of sports teach us about God? Can sports be used to glorify God and introduce others to him? David Prince, author, pastor, and professor joins the podcast to share from his excellent new book, In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship[image error]. He says that we make one of two mistakes with our relationship with sports: we either idolize sports or we dismiss sports. He says there is a better way. Prince also offers helpful tips for parents in making youth sports decisions and with pastors and their preaching and application. If you love sports (like I do) you will enjoy this podcast. And if you don’t love sports, you will still enjoy this podcast.

Show Notes

Twitter: @davideprince
Website: davidprince.com
Book: In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship[image error]

Editor Series: How reading made Jamie Hughes a better editor

This year I’m starting an occasional series of interviews with editors. I’ve had the privilege of knowing, writing for, and learning from many fantastic editors in my writing career. In my view, good writers are good because they have good editors. Today I interview Jamie Hughes.

I’ve worked with my friend Jamie for many years. She’s the managing editor of In Touch Magazine, a beautifully edited and designed magazine. Jamie is a first-rate editor and a lover of words.

Dan Darling: Let’s talk about your calling. Has writing and editing been a lifetime pursuit or something you picked up late in life? And if so, what first interested in you in words? 

JH: I’ve always enjoyed playing around with words and escaping into stories. I spent more time in sixth grade reading whatever book I had squirreled away in my lap than I did learning long division, so accountancy wasn’t in my future. Thankfully, my favorite classes were literary ones and I was pretty good helping others understand the things we were reading in them, so I decided to become a high school English teacher and adjunct professor. I taught for more than a decade and planned on doing so well into curmudgeonly old age, but God had other plans and moved me into publishing in 2011.

DD: We live in an age when anyone can be published instantly via social media, personal blogs, book reviews, etc. Explain, then the value, of a good editor?   

JH: In her poem “Enough Music,” Dorianne Laux says, “Maybe it’s what we don’t say / that saves us.” I can’t help but think that’s what we’ve lost in this era of publishing on demand—the ability to hold words in reserve and share them responsibly.

Anyone can crank out a blog post, hit “publish,” and add to the blather, but truly good writing takes time. More often than not, it’s in the slower, more meticulous period between writing and publishing that the actual work is done by both writer and editor. During revision, sentences are sharpened or softened until they’re just right; other times, they’re removed entirely.

When editing, I often think of the opening lines of Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays.” He writes, “Sundays, too, my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,”. The best word—the one that does the most work—isn’t “blueblack” (though it’s mighty fine). It’s “too.” Instead of saying, “My father got up early every day” or “My father got up early each day, including Sunday,” one simple word carries the weight of the father’s life. It tells the entire story in three letters. That’s good writing.

As an editor, I take pride in enhancing a sentence or paragraph or removing whatever is in the way of helping a piece be its best. I try to bring an unbiased, critical eye to something a writer thought was finished and help usher it into its final form. That is exacting, knuckle-cracking work sometimes, but man oh man, is it ever worth it.

DD: Is there a distinctly “Christian” way you do your work? In other words, does your personal theology affect the practice of writing and editing? 

JH: I wouldn’t say that I edit in a particularly “Christian” way, but I do strive for excellence with everything that comes across my desk. Whether it’s a cut line for a photograph, an editorial note, a short article, or a feature, the words matter because God can use anything to reach people—even the things we do by rote.

It might sound trite, but Colossians 3:23-24 is a good principle to live by as an editor: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” When I’m tired and tempted to “phone something in,” I remember that everything I help craft has the power to change a life forever, and that refocuses and reenergizes me. Being an editor of a Christian publication is an incredible honor, and I never want to lose sight of that.

DD: When you are making decisions about content to publish, how are you evaluating the writer, the piece, and the publication?

JH: Wow, that’s a huge question! I don’t know that I can answer it succinctly, but I will say that technique and execution are paramount. Ecclesiastes 3:1 is so true: “There is nothing new under the sun.” However, just because something has been said before doesn’t mean it isn’t worth revisiting. That’s why I’m always looking for writers and pieces that say something in a fresh way or compel me to revisit Scripture from a different perspective. We serve the living Christ—the Word who was with God and who was God and through whom all things were made. He is inexhaustibly creative, so there is no excuse for complacency on our part.

DD: Who are some of the formative writing influences that have shaped the way you go about your work? 

JH: I remember publishing a poem about calla lilies in my elementary school’s “literary journal” when I was in fourth grade and seeing my thoughts in print for the first time. I believed my entry was a slice of fried gold until I read a short story, written by an older boy, about a widower in a nursing home crying over a bowl of lumpy mashed potatoes that were inferior to his late wife’s. I read it twice in my bedroom, sobbing uncontrollably, and that visceral emotional reaction made me realize just how much more I had to learn about the craft. I’m constantly trying to recreate that experience—both for myself and for readers.

But that kind of result doesn’t come without an amazing amount of effort. You may not agree with Stephen King’s subject matter or style, but you can’t argue with the man’s work ethic. I read somewhere that he writes at least ten pages every single day—even now—and that discipline has helped him crank out an impressive body of work. If a man with a net worth is $400 million still goes to the salt mines every day, I better darn well do it too. That’s why I try to read a book a week and write and/or edit at least 1,000 words a day.

DD: What is one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring writers as they seek to get published? 

JH: Read at least twice as much as you write. I say this for two reasons. First, it helps you know what’s already been said, so you won’t waste your time (or an editor’s) saying it again. Second, everything you read informs how and what you write. Read the classics certainly and spend time with great fiction, but don’t limit yourself to the genre in which you write. I cannot tell you how many times a historical fact, a sentence from an essay, or a poetic phrase has informed my work. Having a wide body of information and styles to draw from will make your writing so much more nuanced and rich (and you’ll be way more fun at parties).