Odd Type Writers

The faster I write, the better my output. If I’m going slow, I’m in trouble. It means I’m pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.

^^ Raymond ChandlerIt's so interesting to learn how other people get work done---particularly, for me, writers of all kinds. This collection of the writing styles of great authors is full of good tidbits, and I came away with such a great feeling of community with these folks---and a desire to be friends with Franz Kafka!

Odd Type Writers by Celia Blue Johnson

The following are excerpts taken from Celia Blue Johnson's Odd Type Writers. Bold and italics are mine. Everything else is Celia's.

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At night, Franz Kafka wrote for long stretches. In September 1912, he composed his short story “The Judgment” in one great gust, from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. The next day, he wrote in his diary:

“Only in this way can writing be done, only with such coherence, with such a complete opening of the body and the soul.”

--Balzac consumed up to fifty cups of coffee a day.--Thurber rewrote “The Train on Track Six” fifteen times. Of all the words that comprised his drafts, only one-twelfth made it into the final story. When asked if he envied faster writers, Thurber replied:

“Oh, no, I don’t, though I do admire their luck.”

--Other writers chose to read a particular book every day before they set to work.--Sometimes the best way to revise is to rewrite. D. H. Lawrence rewrote entire books, starting fresh right from the beginning. He preferred to compose a completely new draft rather than tinker with the text of a previous version. Lady Chatterley’s Lover was written three times before Lawrence settled on the final manuscript.--You can buy the book here. :)