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/lit/ - Literature

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2007352

Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:15:00 2011 No.2007352 [Reply] [Original]

>"Write drunk; edit sober."
-Ernest Hemingway

Do you think this is good advice or not, /lit/? This is not me asking you whether you think I should. Rather, I'm looking for a discussion of the advice itself, and the peculiarities about the process of writing that it's meant to address.

Obviously, the idea is not to get so shitfaced that you can't form a sentence, but to drink just enough that you silence your inner critic (and, perhaps, a bit further to stir the imagination). Personally, I think Hemingway knew what he was talking about. There have been times I've spent all night staring at the same three paragraphs because I can't put half a sentence down without eviscerating myself and deleting it, only to come back the next night with a couple stiff drinks in me, roll right over the problem section and pound out an entire chapter that I'm very pleased with the next day and which requires only minor restructuring. That said, in the absence of alcohol there are other methods that work similarly, if not as well; I find it's easier to get over self-editing humps while sleep-deprived, but this isn't quite as effective as alcohol and also forces you to devote a good portion of your consciousness to staying awake.

Anyone with personal experience with similar problems or solutions, share your stories and perspectives!

Pic related: It's Drano for writer's block.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:20:00 2011 No.2007363 It's not so much write drunk as write happy. The happier you are, the more words you'll put out. The converse is that you should edit while sad, because that's when you'll be most ruthless.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:22:00 2011 No.2007365 Ernest Hemingway killed himself because he was that much of a fuck up. Substance abuse =/= good idea How fucking stupid are you?

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:23:00 2011 No.2007367 File: 56 KB, 413x395, lol.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>2007365 >drinking >Substance abuse it took /lit/ two posts to start trolling, congratulations guys you lasted twice as long as usual

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:24:00 2011 No.2007369 >>2007367 Do you go to work drunk? No If you are a writer and you write drunk that is going to work drunk. If you can't function in your daily life without alcohol, what is that other than fucking substance abuse? Not even trolling.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:26:00 2011 No.2007371 File: 38 KB, 386x359, cheers.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>2007369 >Do you go to work drunk? >No Whoa, whoa, let's not make any assumptions here.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:28:00 2011 No.2007373 >>2007371 Ma nigga.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:31:00 2011 No.2007375 >>2007369 A lot of people start their day with a nice big glass of liquor. Especially artists.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:43:00 2011 No.2007384 >>2007375 A lot of people touch children as well bro. Doesn't change what they are doing.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:50:00 2011 No.2007389 >>2007369 >Charles Bukowski wasn't an amazing author and poet oh boy, here we go.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:53:00 2011 No.2007392 >>2007352 I probably wrote most of my PhD thesis hammered out of my mind.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 04:58:00 2011 No.2007396 >>2007392 PhD in what, might I ask?

>>	Kudryavka !!wEyYEw5OlKU Sat Aug 13 05:03:00 2011 No.2007399 It's easier and more entertaining, but a lot of the time what you write turns out to be pretty shit. Maybe there's an art to getting just enough to have fun with it but not so much that you write stupid shit.

>>

Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:08:00 2011 No.2007403
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I've had writers block all week. Assignments are due Monday and I was just contemplating a glass or two of liquor to see if it helped. This thread has given me confidence in that decision. Thanks /lit/, you're the best.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:09:00 2011 No.2007404 Did you guys not read OP? He didn't say write drunk, rather write buzzed. It's no different than taking a proper dose of medicine (which are drugs just like alcohol you doofuses). Self medicating is great if you do it right, it can improve your life.

>>

Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:13:00 2011 No.2007408

You won't believe this but I took what Hemingway did literally. I heard a story that he locked himself away in a cabin for a few months, got fucked on booze and walked out with a completed manuscript. Now I don't know much about the guy bar a couple of titles - he was way before my time and us Britfags didn't get around to checking his stuff out when we're in school/college, but I loved the concept. I had wanted to write a novel for years so I saved up and took a chance. I hired out a small cottage down in Cornwall, in the middle of nowhere, and did the same thing. I loaded it up with Whiskey and only ventured out for food.

3 months later I finished my first book. IT got picked up in another 2 months by an agent, a publisher the following month and I've sat in the Amazon top 100 sellers list for the last 8 months making enough to do this full time.

You might think this is bullshit but that's your choice. However, take it from me that the process works.

This year in September I'm doing the sequel in the same way.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:20:00 2011 No.2007411 >>2007396 Ancient Roman history. inb4 hurr Liberal Arts. I love my job.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:25:00 2011 No.2007414 I hope you all remember this is the guy who shot himself in the fucking face. Gotta admit, he went out in style...

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:31:00 2011 No.2007421 Of the published authors attached to my social circles the most successful one was an alcoholic, he would drink a bottle of Ouzo in one evening while writing.

>>

Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:41:00 2011 No.2007433
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>"Write drunk; edit sober." -Ernest Hemingway

>open up the word processor
>start knocking back some Jack Daniels
>only buzzed, can't start writing yet
>drink more
>kind of hungry, too
>make banana bread, drink more
>wake up at 9:00 am
>banana bread's half gone
>go to computer
>full of porn
>also I bought a $300 sword on ebay
>word processor is still blank

Thanks Ernest Hemingway, YOU ASS.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 05:49:00 2011 No.2007437 File: 81 KB, 440x384, crying laughing.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>2007433 ITT: If classic writers lived in the modern era.

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Anonymous Sat Aug 13 06:01:00 2011 No.2007441

I find sometimes when I get home after a night out, and am just the right amount of drunk (not to shit faced, not to sober), Im able to put down some very good writing that Im proud of. Also as OP said when sleep deprived, or with me just after waking up.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 06:02:00 2011 No.2007443 >>2007408 How much did it cost you to rent out the place for 3 months. I agree that locking yourself away can help but I don't think I could afford the rent.

>>	Anonymous Sat Aug 13 06:08:00 2011 No.2007445 >>2007443 I did a lot of agency work and this was during when prices were low so it was a few grand. It was expensive but well worth it.