I'm a writer so I can say this:
Writers can be strange sometimes. Take Charles Dickens and his deaf cat, Bob.
Bob would watch Dickens as he read by candlelight.
If he felt in need of play time,
he would put out the candle with his paw repeatedly until the author got the idea.
Like Macak did with Nicola Tesla as a child,
Bob would follow Dickens about like a dog.
Dickens loved Bob. So much so that when Bob died, the master turned him into a letter opener!!
Not the whole cat, actually. Just a single paw,
which the author had stuffed and attached to an ivory blade.
The blade is engraved “C.D. In Memory of Bob 1862″
which is more grave marker than most pussycats can hope for.
LYING DOWN ON THE JOB
Among the successful novelists who wrote lying down are Mark Twain, George Orwell, Edith Wharton, Woody Allen and Marcel Proust.
They were all known for churning out pages while lying in bed or lounged on a sofa.
American author and playwright Truman Capote even claimed to be a
“completely horizontal author” because he couldn’t think and write unless he was lying down.
LET ME TAKE A STAND ON THAT
Writers like Hemingway, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Lewis Carroll, and Philip Roth all liked writing standing up.
These great thinkers have been inspired to pen their finest pieces at their standing desk.
For health-conscious writers, this technique might work for you because standing desks offer many proven benefits.
LOOK IN THE INDEX!!
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, Pale Fire, and Ada, was very particular about his writing instruments.
He composed all his works on index cards, which he kept in slim boxes.
This odd method enabled him to write scenes non-sequentially and re-order the cards any time he wanted.
Nabokov also stored some of his lined Bristol cards underneath his pillow.
This way, if an idea popped into his head, he could quickly write it down.
You can use index cards when doing your note-taking or plotting too.
It’s a different way to construct your story that can knock fun things loose.
BLUE IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE'S ... FICTION?
For decades, Dumas used various colors to
indicate his type of writing.
Blue was the color for his fiction novels,
pink for non-fiction or articles and yellow for poetry.
And you thought writing to music was strange when you did it?!
And we won't even get into Dan Brown hanging upside down to stir up his muse!
Hi Roland - what a wonderful piece ... we are each so different, yet all the same ... we need to combine passion and getting on with writing - how we do it is irrelevant .. as long as WE DO IT ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes, whatever gets the words on the page is the thing to do, right?
DeleteQuite interesting. Just goes to show thoughts come at odd times and places.
ReplyDeleteThoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours
The oddest places for me are in the shower or in the middle of the night when I am turning over in bed! :-)
DeleteSo many different ways to write.
ReplyDeleteStill can't get over the fact Dickens made a letter opener out of his cat's paw...
I bet now that whenever you hear the term "cat's paw", you will think of Dickens! :-)
DeleteWeird Interesting Familiar I get it hee heee heee
ReplyDeleteI thought you might. :-)
DeleteFascinating stuff! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it, Connie. :-)
DeleteInteresting to learn about how some rather famous authors wrote!
ReplyDeleteNow, for us to join their ranks, right? :-)
DeleteIt's always good to learn something new about Charles Dickens.
DeleteOops, commented in the wrong place!
DeleteAny place is fine as long as you comment, friend. :-)
DeleteI could totally see writing on colored paper. It would really focus the thoughts on a subconscious level.
ReplyDeleteAt least it did with Dumas! :-)
DeleteFascinating stuff! I learned of Bob, the cat, long ago and dearly loved the story. As a 'stand up' writer, I can't imagine lying down - much less, hanging upside down! But since it clearly worked well for them, cool beans:-)
ReplyDelete