The Wisdom of Hemingway, Distilled

Liam Jackson · Feb 24, 2006

Very few rules are hard and fast. The following is simply intended to illustrate EH's approach to writing. Take the uesful, discard the rest.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY’S BASIC PRINCIPLES OF WRITING
(As derived from biographies and original essays by EH (and complied by Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion)

1) Study the best literary models.

2) Master your subject through experience and reading.

3) Work in disciplined isolation.

4) Begin early in the morning and concentrate for several hours each day.

5) Begin by reading everything you have written from the start or, if engaged on a long book, from the last chapter.

6) Write slowly and deliberately.

7) Stop writing when things are going well and you know what will happen next so that you have sufficient momentum to continue the next day.

8) Do not discuss the material while writing about it.

9) Do not think about writing when you are finished for the day but allow your subconscious mind to ponder it.

10) Work continuously on a project once you start it.

11) Keep a record of your daily progress.

12) Make a list of titles after you have completed the work.

PastMidnight · Feb 25, 2006

LiamJackson said:
7) Stop writing when things are going well and you know what will happen next so that you have sufficient momentum to continue the next day.

This is a great suggestion! I often wrap up a scene before going to bed, and then I'm not quite sure how to get going again the next day.

MattW · Feb 25, 2006

PastMidnight said:
This is a great suggestion! I often wrap up a scene before going to bed, and then I'm not quite sure how to get going again the next day.

I was thinkin that #7 is good advice, and not something I had heard elsewhere.

Good post Liam!

Sassenach · Feb 25, 2006

You forgot his most important wisdom:

'All first drafts are sh**.'

Words to live [and revise] by.

emeraldcite · Feb 25, 2006

Where's the rule: "Drink until you're sober enough to write?"

Akuma · Feb 25, 2006

LiamJackson said:
7) Stop writing when things are going well and you know what will happen next so that you have sufficient momentum to continue the next day.

Is that necessarily true?
I seem to remember a thread debating this and for many posters this wasn't very effective.
Or is it something you have to master?

loquax · Feb 25, 2006

I've heard number 7 stated many times, and definitely by Uncle Jim at some point. Maybe that's where he got it from. Maybe it's just logical.

Liam Jackson · Feb 25, 2006

Akuma, I can't say that it's true for anyone except EH. These are his beliefs, extracted from various papers and notes.

Personally, it does make sense when you stop and think about it. If I quit at a point where the story has dreid up, and begin at that same point the next day, it's almost like starting completely from scratch. However, if I quit at a point where I really feel the story's direction, it's much easier to resume writing the following day.

I wouldn't think all of these items will work for everyone. Like I said earlier, there are very few hard, fast rules. Just food for thought.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 25, 2006

7

Akuma said:
Is that necessarily true?
I seem to remember a thread debating this and for many posters this wasn't very effective.
Or is it something you have to master?

Well, if you stop in the middle of a sentence, as Hemingway often did, and you know how to finish that sentence, you'll definitely have something to write the next day, and it might be enough to prime the pump. It certainly can't hurt, even if it doesn't necessarily help.

I think it works best if used along with rules eight and nine. Two many writers want to talk about their wriitng while it's in progress, and think about it unendingly. Don't talk about it, and let it go when the day's writing is done, and I think your subconscious will do the job.

emeraldcite · Feb 25, 2006

I've seen that advice before. I think it works for some and not others. You don't want to reach a stopping point and find out that it's a real stopping point...

Jamesaritchie · Feb 25, 2006

Rules

The only rule I'd quibble with is rule four. It's fine, if you're amorning person. Family life has made me write in the day for quite a while, but I don't much like it.

I think the rule would be better stated if it said "Begin writing when you first wake up and concentrate for several hours each day."

One person's morning is another person's midnight. I've always preferred to sleep days and work nights.

Akuma · Feb 25, 2006

I suppose I'm afraid to try 7, because what if it doesn't work, ya know?
Then I would cry myself to sleep.

BlueTexas · Feb 26, 2006

#7 has been effective for me every time I've remembered to use it. It leaves a fresh feeling to the work for the next day.

PastMidnight · Feb 26, 2006

Although I can see it being tricky to do. There have been many times that I have lain awake at night, unsatisfied with the loose ends that I have left in a scene or chapter. I certainly do sleep much better when I've wrapped it all up!

rich · Feb 26, 2006

Keep in mind that Hemingway is Hemingway and you are you. I would never stop writing when things are going well. If things are going well I'll have more of a springboard to continue the next day than if I stopped in mid-dive.

BTW, I'm a great fan of Hemingway, but I'm Rich.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 26, 2006

I've always used #7. Don't know where I first heard it, it's just one of those things that is passed on from writer to writer somehow.

I've found that if I stop midstream I can just review the few prior paragraphs I have and continue on without any hemming or hawing.

The times when I've continued to write until I finished a thought or a scene proved difficult for me to pick it up again. I sit and stare at it wondering "where the heck was I going with this?"

loquax · Feb 26, 2006

Rather than refraining from finishing a scene I know how to end, I normally go ahead and end it, but then start the next scene while I'm on a roll. The same concept applies to handwritten pages - make sure you never start a writing session facing a blank page. The only time you should have to climb that mountain is when you first start.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 26, 2006

Stopping

rich said:
Keep in mind that Hemingway is Hemingway and you are you. I would never stop writing when things are going well. If things are going well I'll have more of a springboard to continue the next day than if I stopped in mid-dive.

BTW, I'm a great fan of Hemingway, but I'm Rich.

The thing is, you have to stop writing sometime, no matter who you are, whether things are going good, bad, or indifferent.

I've found most people write better over the long run, and are certainly more consistent about coming to the keyboard each day, if they don't try to push. If they write eight or nine or ten hours just because things are going well, they may burn out and not write again for a week.

I think writing everyday is a great thing, but I think stopping before you risk burnout is also a great thing. You must reserve energy for writing the next day, and everyday for the next year.

With this is mind, I stop when my time is up, however things are going. If this means stopping in mid-sentence, so be it. If it means stopping right when something is wrapped up, so be it.

But I will say that, for me, it's a heck of a lot easier to pick up where I left off the day before if I stop mid-scene. Trying to start a brand new scene first thing in the morning is often like trying to start a brand new story.

badducky · Feb 27, 2006

Though it isn't Hemingway, it's still a good rule of thumb I picked up from a workshop somewhere. In my case, I'm such a work-a-holic that a couple professors made a point of pulling me aside and each granting me some little wisdoms.

Avoid Burnout: Don't just be writing one thing at one time! Always be writing three things. The novel that you have written and you are editing. The novel that you are writing. the novel that you are outlining and researching.

Avoid Burnout: Take part of your writing time to work on other, smaller projects that you can finish quickly. Publishing these not only promotes your writing in diverse venues by expanding your core readership, but it also keeps your mind fresh for your larger work.

Avoid Burnout: If you feel a bit burned, read until it gets better.

The Wisdom of Hemingway, Distilled

Liam Jackson

Heathen Horde Elder

PastMidnight

Oponionated

MattW

Company Man

Sassenach

5 W's & an H

emeraldcite

Art is Resistance

Akuma

Rare Writer Pokemon

loquax

I verb nouns adverbly

Liam Jackson

Heathen Horde Elder

Jamesaritchie

emeraldcite

Art is Resistance

Jamesaritchie

Akuma

Rare Writer Pokemon

BlueTexas

Back from self-exile land.

PastMidnight

Oponionated

rich

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

loquax

I verb nouns adverbly

Jamesaritchie

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.