
Lydia Davis: Recommendations for Good Writing Habits - jger15
https://lithub.com/lydia-davis-ten-of-my-recommendations-for-good-writing-habits/
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wmhorne
> 2\. Always work (note, write) from your own interest, never from what you
> think you should be noting, or writing. Trust your own interest. I have a
> strong interest, at the moment, in Roman building techniques, thus my
> notation above, taken down in the Cluny Museum in Paris. My interest may
> pass. But for the moment I follow it and enjoy it, not knowing where it will
> go.

> Let your interest, and particularly what you want to write about, be tested
> by time, not by other people—either real other people or imagined other
> people.

> This is why writing workshops can be a little dangerous, it should be said;
> even the teachers or leaders of such workshops can be a little dangerous;
> this is why most of your learning should be on your own. Other people are
> often very sure that their opinions and their judgments are correct.

It's great to see someone who's so often referenced within the institutions of
creative writing note their inherent limitations. I think one ought to have
healthy skepticism about the proposition that someone can teach you an art
form. They can help facilitate your growth, I suppose, but not impart the
skill.

~~~
viburnum
The writing workshop style is so played out now, I don’t know how anybody can
stand it.

