Hey Reader!

Americans don’t read books anymore.

That’s more or less the conclusion of a YouGov poll, and honestly, are we surprised?

To recap, 40% of Americans did not read a single book last year. Maybe you’re one of them - no shade, reading books isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re doing any writing at all, it might be making that task harder.

Me? I’m in the weirdo 4% who reads 50 or more books per year, which is really all you need to know about my reclusive (not to say obsessive) habits.

Why does it matter? Because we learn how to use language by reading (and listening).

And the wider the variety of the stuff you ingest, the better your output. Same as ‘eating the rainbow’ for your health; monoculture isn’t good for us, whether in food or art or information.

If you want your readers to enjoy your newsletter, you’ve got to write something interesting. You don't have to be A Writer, but it’s going to be helpful if you have your own ideas and a decent vocabulary.

And if you want to be a really good writer, it’s super helpful to expose yourself to very good writing.

Honestly? It doesn’t have to be books. And you don’t necessarily have to do it sitting alone in silence.

A couple of years ago I went to the Portland high school poetry slam finals. I was humbled. What these kids were doing with language startled me, inspired me, and made me want to be a better writer.

After Kendrick Lamar won that Pulitzer I dove into his work, because yes, I am that kind of white middle-aged English major.

He is so adept at playing with language and making it do his bidding. Like Cole Porter, like Paul Simon - like all the best lyricists.

Plays. Letters. Lyrics. Poems. Short stories. Novels. Nature articles.

You don’t have to look that far for really good writing. Just don’t ignore it; listening is, in this case, the gateway to doing.

That and practice. I know I’m a broken record when it comes to this topic, so I’ll try to keep it short. But writing is something you WILL get better at the more you do it.

Like every other thing in the world.

​My daughter reminded me of this piece recently.

I just read it again, as I could weekly until the end of time.

It makes me want to scream at the impossibility of ever writing so well. But it also reminds me of the power of words to pinch and stroke and prickle, to pull emotions out of us whether we’ve consented or not.

There’s nothing better than reading something that touches your heart. And you don’t have to write like Brian Doyle to do that to people. Marketers have been yanking on our heart strings for eons.

Your kid’s mangled sentences can make you laugh, an observation from your hardline parent can send you into a rage.

If you have trouble getting words onto the page, may I humbly suggest you do some reading? Which might mean listening to a narrator; your eyes don’t have to be involved.

Here’s a cool place to see lots of great writing from a varied cast of characters. This newsletter/blog publishes letters - from every kind of person on every type of subject. Check it out.

So go do some reading and some listening and some writing and remember that you are a creative person - because we all are. Every single one of us.

Yours in taking it in,

Julia

​Elvis Costello knows we're writing our own lives, and so does this email. Forward it to someone who has a lot of words trying to get out.

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