Factoids about Writer's Quirky Habits - by Barbara Baker

 

I’m sitting at my desk procrastinating about whether I should do housework or wrestle with Jillian and her next chapter. While I ponder away, a downy woodpecker hurries up the tree outside my window and a squirrel tries to get into my bird feeder. I watch him for a few minutes as he preforms his aerial antics.

Procrastinating wins again and, as always, Google is full of facts and details which are often entertaining and intriguing. Since I feel like less of a procrastinator when I research writerly information, I selected authors as my topic – quirky habits of authors.

• Did you know Agatha Christie ate apples in the bath? Nothing weird about that. She apparently envisioned the plots of her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections while she chewed on apples in the comfort of a warm tub. Why apples? Google had no idea which surprised me. But Christie would line the edge of her tub with the cores while she plotted away. Weird or not, she’s got a fabulous track record so it worked for her.

• French romantic writer Victor Hugo would order his servant to hide all his clothes, including what he was wearing. Why? It prevented him from procrastinating about writing. Interesting. Apparently, Mr. Hugo would leave the house to frequent a local brothel, and it affected his ability to meet his writing deadlines. When his clothes were hidden, being naked prevented him from leaving home. With no place to go, he would write. Go Hugo. Wouldn't working in the nude today bring a whole new element to a Zoom meeting?

• Author of the DaVinci Code series, Dan Brown, hung upside down to process his book ideas. He would wear gravity boots and suspend himself from an exercise frame. Current day practice calls it inversion therapy. He felt the blood rushing to his head kept his creative juices flowing. His other quirk was to use an hourglass to track his writing time. When the hour was up, he’d do a round of push ups, sit ups and stretching exercises before writing again. Quite the energetic fella.

• Virginia Woolf, considered to be one of the most important modernists 20^th century authors, would stand at a tall desk while she wrote. Her sister was a painter, and she stood while she painted. Woolf felt her own work might seem less important if she sat while she wrote, hence she stood. Woolf’s nephew suggested it was a case of sibling rivalry. A bit of competitive spirit under their roof.

• Irish novelist, James Joyce wrote while he was lying down on his stomach. He would wear a white lab coat and use an oversized blue pencil. Odd maybe. But he had bad eyesight. The white lab coat reflected light better on the page and the large lead on the pencil helped him to see what he was writing. My elbows hurt just imagining writing in that position.

• Haruki Murakami would wake up at 4 AM to write. He’s the author of Norwegian Wood and other famous books. Haruki enjoyed writing in the quiet of the morning because there were fewer distractions. He would sit at his desk and write for five to six hours. No hanging upside down or lying on the floor. No apples in the room. And he wore clothes. This is one I can relate to.

Enough with factoids. Jillian and I need to spend some time together. Either she needs to get on my page, or I have to figure out what page she wants to be on. Regardless, I know it will be a test of wit, will and focus. Hopefully I can get to the focus aspect sooner than later.

FYI – I found the first crocus blooms on March 19th.

 

Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)