Even when on our best behavior, we fiction writers are strange
beasts. We spend our days staring off into space, dreaming up people who may
have lived experiencing events that might have happened. Some days, the story gushes
from inspiration to paper, almost writing itself. Other days, we couldn’t
string three words together with a gun to our heads.
But then, there was that time when you wrote 3,500 words in
a day, and the subsequent book was snapped up by the first publisher who read
it. And you were wearing those lime green socks your kid gave you at Christmas.
Or that Tractor Supply cap. Or maybe you were sitting in the second
booth on the right at IHOP instead of at your writing desk at home. That’s
where superstition comes into play.
Many famous authors admit to having rituals or lucky charms.
They include time, place, wearing certain articles of clothing (or not!), and
even way-out OCD things like the number of pencils on the desk. Here are a few
notables.
Truman Capote never started or ended a piece on a Friday. He
refused to accept any hotel room assignment containing the number “13” and
allowed no more than three cigarette butts in his ashtray. He also favored
writing while lying down, as did Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, and George Orwell.
John Steinbeck wrote his drafts in pencil…make that one of
twelve perfectly sharpened pencils (no more, no less) he kept on his desk.
(Note to self: buy a dozen pencils and a sharpener. Proceed to write several great American novels. No problem, right?)
(Note to self: buy a dozen pencils and a sharpener. Proceed to write several great American novels. No problem, right?) 
Jack London insisted on writing one thousand words every
single day of his career. (Slackers like me, take note. And, by the way, define "career." Can we three to four-day-a-week writers prorate that number?) |
| John Cheever (from the waist up) |
As for me, I don’t have any particular talismans or rituals
that I rely on. That said, I notice that I usually write with my feet propped
on a table. I tend to get new ideas or work out story details when I’m driving.
Strangely, I have done a lot of my best writing in busy places like restaurants
or airports. And there is that Mickey Mouse coffee mug…
I’d love to hear about any superstitions you writers in the
crowd may have!Vonn
www.vonnmckee.com
“Writing the Range”
2015 WWA Spur Finalist (Short Fiction)
2015 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Finalist (Short Fiction)
Great post! I have no superstitions when it comes to writing. I think this comes from the fact that I always had to just grab my writing time as it came to me--minutes here, an hour there before the kids got home, etc. So, basically no time for superstition. LOL But I'm superstitious about other things in life-not so much the wearing of certain things, etc. but the old ones like not walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella in the house or anything to do with the number 13. Hubby says 13 is his "lucky" number. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I loved hearing about all these writers and their quirks.
Cheryl,
DeleteMy writing is grab-and-go affair as well. Maybe if we had more time, we'd be even more eccentric. :D
Now I feel less 'crazy', not that I have any superstitions. I will say I rarely write directly on the computer. Most work is written in longhand, with a majority of the work done in the improv writing group and the cemetery. (I know, but it's quiet in the cemetery and the folks there don't critique LOL).
ReplyDeleteThanks again for an enlightening post. Doris
Writing in a cemetery! That's an interesting one. Yes, Doris, I believe that qualifies as a writer's quirk.
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ReplyDeleteI always hesitate when I see a black cat cross the road ahead but... I can't think of any idioms that would inhibit my thoughts other than I am very careful about doing any dealing when the moon is full.
I think you're on to something with the moon, Jerry. I think that lunar phases affect more things than we know. And, at the risk of offending feline lovers, I'm not a fan of cats, black or otherwise.
DeleteTwelve perfectly sharpened pencils, eh? Maybe I should try that, too.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, superstitions. I don't know as if I have any writing superstitions, but I have a tendency to knock on wood when someone says something overly optimistic. :)
Oh wait--I must have a rubber chicken in my office. That should count. :)
DeleteA rubber chicken! Why am I not surprised?
DeleteGreat post! I've got only one...but I try to stick to it. Gina's grandma warned: Never start a project on a Friday.
ReplyDeleteNow the trick is to figure out exactly when a story idea (project) begins...
I've heard that Friday adage too. As if I need another excuse not to start a project...
DeleteThanks, Micki. They say baseball players are the most superstitious. I once cut a pilot's hair whose job was to fly sports teams places. I asked him who he liked best. He said basketball players without question. He said baseball players the least. So maybe it's better not to be too superstitious. It's hard enough on our loved ones having a writer in the house.
ReplyDeletePssst. We're the normal ones, Vicky. Everyone else is strange.
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