Alan Moore's advice on inspiring reading for writers

I have always been a verbal storyteller. I have my own stories i would've liked to put to page, but i don't think even reading the terrible stories, i can can write it properly lol. I am the same with art. I can mess up a stick figure lol.
 
This is the best advice if you want to improve your writing, though not something you will often hear!

I think it would help writing courses immensely if they included study of wretchedly bad writing!
there are a lot of good writers, very talented and imaginative people who write and express themselves and their stories very well, who produce very enjoyable works, but lack confidence in themselves or are too embarrassed to self publish or submit their work to actual publishers. whether from fear of rejection or ridicule of critics or whatever..... the point is that this article itself should inspire those who are afraid just with the fact that there are many, many wretched, awful books out there that get made and bought. terrible books get published, take a chance, live life, learn from experience...... never let fear crush your dreams.
 
That is wonderful advice! I can think of a couple of terrible books I've read recently and yes, they were very instructive! :)
 
I have always been a verbal storyteller. I have my own stories i would've liked to put to page, but i don't think even reading the terrible stories, i can can write it properly lol. I am the same with art. I can mess up a stick figure lol.
It's a different skillset in many ways. You get instant feedback. Writing it down you can only guess at how it's going to go down with readers; talking you get no second chances to correct, but there's a connection. It takes real empathy to be be good at telling a story in person and it's rewarding for that. A written story captures a moment in time, like a photograph, but to tell a story in person, making things up on the fly and interacting with a live audience can't be beaten! I love it more.