I want to be one of those writers who knows the names of lots of different kinds of flowers and beans. Lorrie Moore knows all about beans, y’know? She’s always on about wax beans. And right now Jennifer Egan is talking about flowers. It’s a thing. To me that’s a good writer. Bean knowledge. Flower sense.
Agreed. I feel the same way about trees. Plants of all kinds, really. Knowing about the stars ain’t bad either.