I don't mean like they teach you in school.

That's like learning to speak a foreign language.

If you don't bury yourself in the culture, the words don't mean

diddley.

The secret is to read a little bit of everything.

See what you really like.

Don't let anyone tell you what to like.

Ignore lists of popular books.

Wander the shelves of the book stores and libraries and

your friend's and relative's houses.

Pick up something just for it's title.

Grab a book with a cover that looks interesting.

Try not to get too bogged down with one genre for

more than a month at a time.

Otherwise, you will become an expert in one thing

and then suddenly a collector rather than a writer.

If you do choose to become a fanatic, stick with it

and don't write fiction.

While fan fiction can be a useful start for a budding

wannabe, fanboy fiction is a contradiction in terms.

I don't care what Silent Bob says.



So, that's the whole bruhaha in a nutshell: Learn to Read!