Stealing to write better

A friend asked the other day what he should read to learn to write better.

"Books," I said.

When I picked myself up and dusted myself off, I said, "Mark Twain."

"I don't like fiction," he said.

Oh.

Being the original thinker that I am, I Googled it and came up with some thoughts worth passing on. These are from Leo Babauta, who also writes about Zen things, which should tell you something. Here are a few.

Analyze character, plot, theme. Break down the books you read. You can either do this as you read, or afterward, when you reflect on them while doing something else (for me it’s running and doing housework and when I’m in the shower). Why did the writer make the choices she made? How did she create the characters and convey their qualities? How did she start the book and lay out the plot? How is the theme of the book conveyed throughout the book.

Pay attention to what they do with words. Beyond the big things mentioned above, the writer does little things with words, in every paragraph and sentence and phrase. A good writer pays close attention to words, the effects they create, how they mix together with other words, twists and turns of meaning. See how he does this, as it is the best instruction you can get.

Rip them off. A writing teacher once told me not to mimmic other writers — but instead to rip them off. Steal blatantly. Take things that you discover in other writers, things that work, things that you love … and use them in your own writing. Don’t worry — you can always revise later or throw it out completely. For now, rip them off. It’ll help you make these techniques your own.

Riff off them, experiment. Once you’ve ripped off a few dozen writers, start to riff. Do variations and experiments on stuff you’ve found. Give their techniques and styles your own twists and flair.

All the great writers steal. Don't worry about it. In graduate school I heard Joseph Heller give a lecture about Catch-22. He spent the whole time telling what he'd stolen from Shakespeare and the rest of them. 

“Good writers borrow, great writers steal.” -- Oscar Wilde 

“Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright.” -- Aaron Sorkin 

"Good writers borrow, Great writers steal."  -- T.S. Eliot

See what I mean?