I’m thinking of making a career change, taking on something that’s intellectually challenging like miniature golf or hot-dog-eating contests.

I’m sure that the right teacher, in a well-designed course, can be a great help to beginning writers who are trying to find their way, but I have no personal experience of that. I found my own way by doing two things. First, I read 150 books a year, sometimes more, (very little TV, later…