Learning From Other Writers

The Methods of 4 Authors of Significant Import in the 20th Century

Writing, even as an art, is a craft. And like any craft, it can be stoked, improved, grown, and sharpened. One of the best ways to do this is by studying the methodologies and processes of other writers. Particularly if you are interested in becoming a commercially successful writer, part of your craft should be studying those who have gone before you.

Let’s take a shallow dive into the processes of four authors from the 20th century who have well-known writing styles. We’ll do a surface examination of how they write, and end each with a challenge for those of you interested in trying to emulate their practice. If you find any of these writers and their methods particularly compelling, I strongly urge you to do additional research on that author. Read their work, find their interviews, and adopt what you can into your own style.

If it worked for them it can work for you.

As always, these are suggestions to shake up your writing or help you find a better practice. If what you are doing is working for you, you may find this piece more of a curio than anything. I still encourage you to read it and see if there is something fascinating to try. Certainly, I learned a few things for my own habits in researching this piece.

The first writer we are going to look at is Stephen King. I chose King not only because of his absolutely impressive body of work, but because of how consistent and structured his writing habits are. There are a lot of discussions going on lately about whether writing absolutely every day to a certain par is healthy for new writers. King is living proof that establishing this habit, regardless of one’s mood, energy or external events like holidays or weekends, can be very powerful for productivity.

King’s methodology is simple. He writes in exactly the same place, with a desk arranged the same way, every single day without fail, until he has produced 2000 words that are edited and formatted. At this pace, he is able to compose one of his epic 120,000 word novels in right around two months.

That’s it. That’s the whole secret. 2,000 words a day, every day, without fail.

King recommends that every draft be completed within three months so the story remains as consistent as possible throughout. Further, his advice is to remove yourself from your writing for six weeks thereafter to take a truly fresh look at it when you return to do more formal edits.

Outside of that, Stephen King takes an approach to writing that students of art and sculpting may find familiar in its proximity to the philosophy of Michelangelo. Michelangelo once said he did not sculpt, but rather revealed the sculpture already inside the stone. Similarly, King has often said that he is simply a narrator, and his characters play out the story on their own. He sometimes finds himself surprised at the choices they make.

King is also a prolific reader, and makes the argument that if you do not have time to read, you do not have time to write. He sees it as an absolutely critical part of being a writer, and considers it a form of ‘practice’ or artistic study.

Here’s your Stephen King challenge if you find his methods interesting. For two weeks, write every single day up to a self-determined par (it does NOT have to be 2000 words). During your writing, try to let your characters make the most human decisions they can in keeping with their established nature. After you have finished writing, read for thirty minutes. See how your writing changes.

George RR Martin provides a stark contrast to Stephen King. While King is almost a meme for how quickly he generates new novels, Martin is almost a meme for exactly the opposite reason. His legendarily meticulous pace is reminiscent of JRR Tolkien 80 years prior, and he represents a pushback against the ‘faster, more, MORE’ model.

There are some great takeaways from Martin’s process. Namely, he writes in a distraction-free setting. His computer has a word processor but does not connect to the internet, social media, or other digital distractions. In fact: his machine is a mythic DOS computer, one of the earliest home computers that made it into wide distribution. If you have ever worked on a DOS computer, you know exactly how stripped down they are compared to today’s technology.

Part of what contributes to Martin’s more meticulous (here used as a kinder synonym for ‘slower’) style is he is a classic ‘pantser’ and encourages other authors into this style. Martin believes too many writers ‘architect’ their story rather than allow it to grow organically. He plants idea seeds, to continue the metaphor, and then allows them to grow on their own, rather than plotting out his stories. This often takes longer than following an outline.

Two similarities between Martin and King that are worth calling out. Both authors recommend writers write EVERY day, regardless of how many words they write. Just get something out. Martin is also an avid reader and believes it is absolutely critical to the craft.

One other really interesting note on Martin as an author: he believes aspiring writers who intend to create their own novels and worlds one day should steer clear of fanfic. While he does not inherently look down on Fan Fiction writing, he views it as more akin to ‘tracing.’ It utilizes an already established world with already established characters who have already established characteristics that a writer must keep to in order to make a compelling story within that universe. This pulls away from a writer’s opportunity to create on their own and flex their individual creativity.

Here is your George RR Martin writing assignment slash writing challenge. For two weeks, when you sit down to write, turn off your internet completely. Write in silence and work on an idea that you have not plotted at all. Grow your story organically. See how this makes you more creative and flexible as a writer.

John Grisham, was chosen for a number of reasons, and I’m excited to discuss some of the habits of Grisham. What I am drawn to in his writing is its proximity to his profession. While Grisham writes fiction, he writes fiction derived from his actual experiences in law. During his early career as a writer, he continued to practice law. To this day, he maintains a presence with The Innocence Project, and speaks out as an advocate of justice system reform.

Grisham is an extraordinarily regimented and ritualistic writer. Many of his writing stylings ring of Stephen King’s, but even more focused.

When Grisham begins a new novel, it is on the same date every year, and every page is written in exactly the same room. He drinks the same type of coffee from the same mug during this process, and keeps his writing hours strictly maintained every day from 7AM to 10AM. His manuscripts are always completed by the end of March, so that he can take the following three months to edit and prepare them for publication. (Remember how King said a manuscript should take no longer than three months to maintain clarity and consistency).

Grisham exemplifies the current trend of ‘deep work.’ He completely removes himself from the world for three hours a day, and in this time produces enough content to completely finish a novel in three months’ time. Which contributes to his massive body of work at almost 30.

A common throughline for all these writers so far: Grisham recommends you write every single day, without fail, regardless of how much writing you do. He is also much more an advocate for plotting a story than yesterday’s author, Martin, and believes a writer should know the last scene of their book at the same time they know the first scene of their story.

Here’s the John Grisham writing challenge. For two weeks, do your writing in exactly the same spot, with exactly the same surroundings, down to your beverage and cup. Make it a ritual, and see how it impacts the consistency of your writing habit.

Toni Morrison is without question one of the most impactful writers in modern American literature. Her writings arguably changed the face of literature in the second half of the twentieth century. And her methods are a shining example of having balance in one’s life. Both a Nobel Prize winner and Pulitzer Prize winner, her body of work is comparatively slim as compared to previous authors this week. This should in no way diminish her accomplishments, as the impact of each of her books was enormous, and Morrison lead a decidedly rich life.

Balance was important to Morrison. Apart from her writing, she was actively involved in teaching at the university level, edited textbooks for Random House, and took her responsibilities as a parent incredibly seriously. In fact, Morrison saw her other pursuits a critical tool for dealing with writer’s block. When she found she was up against a block, she gave more energy to her teachings, or editing, until she better understood her own work. This would allow her to return to a piece with fresh eyes and find new, creative ways around a sticking point. The balance of these pursuits was so important to her, that she would go on to say that she could never imagine herself being just a writer. To Morrison, writing was a part of her identity- not the whole thing.

Morrison was also known for drawing on sources of inspiration like oral tradition and folklore. Her writings were informed by traditional stories laid down ancestrally, and she often pulled these elements into her process. She was passionate about storytelling and leaned into a folklore approach for her writing.

Her biggest lesson to her students was to have passion for the writing. To create imaginative, visionary ideas of their own. In Morrison’s estimation, this was the one aspect of writing that could not be taught. Simply a love for the craft itself. To this end, she saw the ‘trade’ or ‘craft’ of writing as entirely fixable if a student struggled with the mechanics of it. What she felt could not be taught, was a love of the art.

Here’s your Toni Morrison challenge. Over the next two weeks, every time you sit down to write, time yourself. Commit to spending one minute equal minute for every minute you write on something else that brings you joy. Find balance. In those moments, reflect on your writing and consider how the things in your life that love could inform the project you are working on. Examine how your writing becomes richer and more authentic.

Spend a little time digesting these methods. Consider going back and highlighting passages of particular import. Choose one of the challenges and incorporate it into your work for the recommended two weeks. Really commit yourself to it. At the end of those two weeks, decide what aspects of that writer’s workflow works for you, and what you may want to discard in favor of your own practices.