Reading about Writing

I enjoy reading about writing, and I'm currently a couple of chapters into A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. The members of one of my poetry critique groups have been raving about Saunder's book for weeks, and I can see why. It's excellent so far. 

Saunders uses short stories by the Russian masters to analyze what makes a story effective. The book is smart and extremely accessible, and I think anyone who wants to write anything (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, the minutes of committee meetings) could benefit from this one.

I also enjoy reading writers talking about their lives, and I just read Ada Limón's piece for Lithub on preparing the body for a reopened world. She has inspired me yet again. (Actually, she never doesn't inspire me, so I don't know why I even bothered with that statement. I blame the late hour.)

Anyone who can be so direct and gently funny and vulnerable and thoughtful, anyone who can connect with readers at such a deep level, always makes me remember again the power of good writing. Of course, it also makes me want to write as well as she does. But that certainly won't happen if I continue to save work until the very end of a long day when I can hardly keep my eyes open!