Lesson #1: Read, please.

From an interview with Robert Lipsyte at Advice to Writers:

What’s your advice to new writers?

One – READ. Sounds obvious but it’s amazing to me how many new writers don’t read enough, and don’t read as writers, looking for examples of how other writers handled transitions, character descriptions, etc. the same way young athletes watch pros at work.

I’m often asked for writing advice, and this is the same answer I always give. No class, no MFA, can take the place of reading. I don’t just mean ca...