the only bit of unarguable advice on how to improve as a writer i'll endorse is this: read fucking everything you can get your hands on. fiction, nonfiction, essays, articles, poetry. all of it

I've been kinda bummed out the past couple of weeks, trying to get momentum in fall classes. What if I share this "famous quotation" with my students? (Some claim to be readers but a lot aren't, it's an ongoing convo.)

film criticism, classic lit, big books on history. don't just read one thing

Variety is so key. I feel like I can spot a genre writer who only reads the kind of stuff they write at 20 paces.

The number of people I come across who profess to be writers, yet don't read (as in, they say they don't read) is not insignificant. It bothers me.

Damn straight! We've always liked this one... www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...

Politics and the English Language | The Orwell Foundation

"Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."

Also how to improve as a human being, I'd add.

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getting a kindle helped me immensely to just grab stuff and try it out rather than waffle on what to buygetting a kindle helped me immensely to just grab stuff and try it out rather than waffle on what to buy

Go further than that. Immerse yourself in different kinds of media. Movies, shows, music, video games.

I do like reading.