Read him slowly, dear girl, you must read Kipling slowly. Watch carefully where the commas fall so you can discover the natural pauses. He is a writer who used pen and ink. He looked up from the page a lot, I believe, stared through his window and listened to birds, as most writers who are alone do. Some do not know the names of birds, though he did. Your eye is too quick and North American. Think about the speed of his pen. What an appalling, barnacled old first paragraph it is otherwise. Michael Ondaatje
About This Quote

When you read a book, it is difficult to pick out anything that the writer did that was not perfect. To be a great writer, you must have a gift that allows you to see what others cannot. You must be able to spot any little flaw in your own writing, and be able to work around it so that your writing becomes flawless. This is why reading a book slowly is important when you are learning how to become a writer yourself.

If you rush through the words, your writing will lack individuality and will not be as good as it could have been. Reading a book slowly provides you with time to focus on different aspects of the author’s writing style. This way, when you do finally understand what makes a great author great, you can create something of your own that will stand out in the crowd.

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