Doesn’t anyone who spends a decent amount of time on the internet these days have a lot of contact with mediocre writing?
Yes. I question the merit of that advice too. “Read a lot, the best books possible” as a strategy will still result in reading far more mediocre writing than optimal.
You know how bad the worst released stuff is? That’s still the good stuff—the bottom of the barrel is at least in the barrel. The slush pile has horrors. Worst is the stuff that’s just … not good. Being able to identify why helps you learn from others.
Yes. I question the merit of that advice too. “Read a lot, the best books possible” as a strategy will still result in reading far more mediocre writing than optimal.
You know how bad the worst released stuff is? That’s still the good stuff—the bottom of the barrel is at least in the barrel. The slush pile has horrors. Worst is the stuff that’s just … not good. Being able to identify why helps you learn from others.