A noteworthy subgenre of narratives explores the processes by which people learn to read or write or acquire other life-changing intellectual skills. In the following selection from a slightly longer piece originally published in the New York Times “Writers on Writing” series, contemporary novelist Allegra Goodman reflects on how she learned to overcome the doubts that plague many writers. Her most recent work is The Cookbook Collector (2010).

Reading the Genre

As you read the selection, pay attention to the way Goodman uses pronouns, especially I/me and you/your. To whom is the essay directed? Are there places where Goodman seems to be talking as much to herself as to readers? How does that move add interest to the story?