It's not about the dialogue, it's about what surrounds it

by Ksenia Anske

I had this epiphany strike me while reading Anna Karenina. There is a scene of conflict between Anna and Vronsky (several of them) where the dialogue is almost meaningless if you looked at it as pure dialogue. It has no information in it, no explanations; the lines are broken, unfinished. It was while reading those scenes that I undestood something I already knew yet failed to apply fully to my own writing.

You know how they say, you're blind to something until you're ready to see it? Yeah, like that.

How reading affects my writing

by Ksenia Anske

Books. Such inconspicuous little objects. Tight bundles of paper with some squiggles inside, yet they contain a charge of energy greater than that of a bomb. They can change your perception of the world, they can change your life. I have had several moments like this, and you've been collectively hounding me to blog about them. This will be the post about what I read, how I read, how reading influences me, how I choose books to read, and several examples of how specific books have taught me specific things about writing. Because that is what reading is, the study of writing. You peel apart the craft by seeing how others did it, and then you apply it in your own writing and try out new things to see if they would stick.