I’m reading Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses (the craft in question is writing, especially the writing of fiction). It has long been on my to-read list, but that’s a pretty deep pile. I discovered it through this review in the NYTimes (the sharing link should get you by the paywall for a few weeks after my post goes up). As the review says, “In this new book, he dismantles a number of assumptions that underpin the teaching of craft in workshops.” Salesses is seeking a more inclusive way of teaching/workshopping writing and, along the way, encourages us to make explicit the expectations of our craft (what other’s might call the rules of writing) and the reasons for them so that we are making explicit choices. As he notes writing/the craft is meaningful precisely because it is of the world (both influenced by and influencing) and thus never neutral (ideologically speaking). So far, it is a fantastic read (and has some wonderful exercises in the appendix). I’d highly recommend. I’ll probably be posting snippets of it along the way.
Ramblings 
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