Goodreads
Goodreads asked Alexandra Petri:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Alexandra Petri READ
READ CONSTANTLY
READ TURDKILOGRAMS OF STUFF
FIND AN AUTHOR YOU LIKE AND TRUST AND THINK IS PERFECT AND JUST APPRENTICE YOURSELF AND READ ALL OF HIS OR HER STUFF, AND ALL THE STUFF HE OR SHE RECOMMENDS, AND KEEP READING UNTIL YOU REALIZE WHY HIS OR HER STUFF ISN'T PERFECT
also read things you think are crap
read weird back-catalogs
read classics
listen to people in cafes
just read
also write
write bucketloads
don't stop writing
never stop writing

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