Thirty years ago I believed what I was taught, that if you wanted to have a unique voice as a writer you had to avoid reading books and not listen to any of the "how to be a writer" advice. It took twenty-five years to shake that off.
I had thought, or perhaps hoped, that the theory of developing your skill/style/voice in a vacuum had been disproved long ago, but today I spoke to a young wannabe writer whose high school English teacher told him that reading too much would dilute his skill as a writer. He had me read a short story he wrote. There wasn't a single sentence that was properly constructed. The story itself seemed non-existent. When I asked him what he was trying to say, he responded that he didn't try to say anything, he just wrote.
My question is; from where does this illusion of spontaneous genius spring? Was there ever some wolf boy that emerged from the woods, pen in hand, scribbling magnificent prose? What made my teachers, as well as this young man's, think they were/are doling out good advice? My only explanation is that they, being frustrated writers themselves, are doing their best to prevent anyone else from becoming a successful writer.
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Talk to me dude