I wanted to draw attention, briefly, to this essay we published at World Hum last week: Inspiration, Travel Writing and L’Esprit Frondeur. It’s by Atlantic correspondent Jeffrey Tayler, and it’s about how he became a writer. I always get a kick out reading the “how I got started” stories of writers I admire, but I especially appreciated this one for making an important and surprisingly regularly overlooked point:
I’d like to clarify something fundamental. I take for granted that if you want to be a writer, you’re a wordsmith, a lover of the classics and a connoisseur of literature. Writers must, initially and throughout their lives, be readers first and foremost, and readers not primarily of journalism, but of the classics, both modern and not-so-modern. I also take for granted that aspiring writers know how to compose a proper declarative sentence and don’t misuse words. Reading the classics will help hone your ear, but there are many good books on usage out there and writers should read and digest them and reread them. Inspiration and an esprit frondeur won’t help aspiring writers who don’t know the basics of their craft. No matter what motivates you, no matter what experiences you have and seek to put down on paper, editors buy well-written words, and your writing has to be exceptional if it is to see print.
In all the talk about building your online brand, social media, and so on, this basic point – that aspiring writers should love words and know how to use them – can sometimes go overlooked. So thanks for the reminder, Jeffrey.
Eva Holland 
Agreed. Happy National Grammar Day!
I’ll admit, I need to read more of the classics. Often I feel like there is no time to read (except just before bed), just trying to stay on top of what’s going on is a struggle. But I know that we need to make the time, because it’s important. Of course, this is all easier said than done 🙂
Definitely a timely reminder. Totally with Carlo on this one: I need to read more classics – and other good literature, whether travel or not – but time is limited. Especially if you become a slave to google reader! I’m trying to have one day a week where I don’t even open my computer. The psychological trauma this has been causing me is enough to convince me that it’s a worthwhile thing to do!
So true. What matters most is the content!
Hear, hear! Personally, I consider some of Tayler’s books—like Angry Wind—classics in their own right.
I think travel writers and journalist, above all, do need this reminder. I thank god for my literature and creative writing background when it comes to freelancing – I’d be lost without it.
Passionate, unusual essay. Thanks for introducing me to him. Though I wonder how on earth he funded so much travel and study abroad when he was so young. I’d love to hear that part, because that’s the most difficult aspect for me. Following passions, taking risks, learning languages, educating yourself, moving, loving, doing — I get all of that, I need all of that. But man, the money. It’s hard to survive, do all the things he did, and then end up as Atlantic’s foreign correspondent.
Thanks, all. Glad to see this story resonating with people!
[…] other publishing figures – everyone from Philip Roth to William Faulkner to John Cheever. As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t get enough behind-the-scenes glimpses at the writing lives of authors I admire, so […]