Virginia Woolf's Tips For Amateur Poets

People who write things for a living are sometimes asked by the people they love to read their writing and tell them whether they should write things for a living too. And sometimes, the answer is "Well..." Virginia Woolf had this experience, and handled it quite well. In a letter released for the first time ever at The Paris Review, Woolf gently suggests to her favorite nephew, Julian Bell, that his poetry needs a bit of work. 

The letter, written in 1929, reads,
"Monday. My dear Julian. I like the poem very much. It still wants CURRENCY I think. When did you write it? It shall be the cornerstone of my new library at Rodmell. But this is to say--please be here 7:30 sharp tomorrow (Friday) as we want you to drive Rachel & us to a restaurant."

Read more at the Atlantic Wire.