Waterloo (Canada) Chronicle columnist Marshall Ward cites a favorite book by Dinty W. Moore in a column headlined “Natural curiosity the biggest attribute of a successful writer.”
Moore is Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Ohio University.
My favourite book on writing is The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life by Dinty W. Moore.
A professor and director of creative writing at Ohio University, Moore writes: “What is the single most important trait a writer must have? People who ask that question often expect an answer such as good grammar, a wide vocabulary, or a comprehensive knowledge of the Greek and Roman classics. But my answer: Curiosity. With curiosity, a writer will always move forward. Without curiosity, the brain is already dead.”
I’ve been reflecting on writing as I reach a milestone this month, celebrating 12 years writing a weekly column for this newspaper. For this column I’ve interviewed authors, actors, and athletes, and written about everything from light pollution to street prostitution to human cremation.
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