my friend Isaac, the 10 year old writer I know, is reading Dubliners. only just started, but I can see the gears grinding about ficion of such sort. certes he's down with action/adventure, but there's a palpable draw towards all sorts of literature. he likes the formal rumble of Shakespeare and English poetry, however much he likes the poetry itself. its fascinating to see such a receptive intellect in one so young. what I mean by receptive intellect, he hears the differences. I don't mean he's about to write an MFA paper on Joyce. he doesn't get it in that sense. but he's a sponge, and is sensitive to words going around and about. he's not yet at a stage of rewriting, but a critical factor of sorts is at work. which is not to say we didn't play a few games of Hangman together.