The Inspirational Method

Inspirational Method

 

Inspiration

         It is the first and (depending on who you ask) the last blockade of realizing a material.  The process in which an idea is conceived.  All amateur writers convey the same problems: “I can’t come up with any ideas.” And “I don’t know how to turn my ideas into a story.”  Indeed, these are different processes, but do they share the same challenges?  Is the lack of growth within a conceptualized story the result of the original concept being inferior?  In my studies of archetypal criticism, there seems to be one story, “The Hero’s Journey,” as it’s called.  How do people have trouble realizing stories with an already established outline for a narrative?  How do people lose their creativity when everybody was once an imaginative child?  Are the proposed methods of inspiration stifling the struggling writers of today?  By the end of this study, I hope to answer these questions and establish any patterns that can be found in the creative process of prolific authors.

         For this study, I have carefully chosen three professional authors.  The criterion for the selection is that all three are from different countries and different cultures, have different literary styles, different preferences of genre and cover different themes.  How they stand united is through their popularity with contemporary audiences, having a large body of work (40 works minimum) and all had the benefit of being born well within the big literacy boom of the 19th and 20th  centuries, when literacy slowly ceased to be an exclusive privilege, but a human right.

Explaining the thought process behind these stipulations through example: It seems unfair to compare someone like Homer to someone like J.K. Rowling.  Writing processes were different in Homer’s time, oratory was far more important to the medium (hence, the aforementioned period when literacy shot up in commonality) and it can by and large be impossible to dig up the writing processes of people of antiquity.  I also wanted the lifespans of the authors to cover as much chronological ground as possible within the allotted time of the literacy boom. 

The three authors that best fit this criterion are as follows: Leo Tolstoy, Agatha Christie, and Stephen King.  These are three of the most successful writers of all time, with a staggeringly large body of works accumulated to a minimum of 210 contributions to literature between them and have made estimated sales ranging from $300 million and $4 billion (“List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia”).  And with the oldest of the three authors being born in 1828, and the youngest still being alive, they fit the allotted time almost perfectly.

Leo Tolstoy

         Lev, or “Leo” Tolstoy was a Russian writer who lived from 1828 – 1910 and specialized in realist fiction.  He’s written a total of 48 contributions to literature, including plays, essays, novels and short stories including War and Peace and Anna Karenina.  Today, he is the 14th best selling author worldwide with 413 million maximum estimated sales.  (“List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia”).  He is an especially useful subject for this study due to his highly documentative habits.  At 18, He began keeping a “Journal of Daily Activities,” where he would carefully allot each hour of his day to one of his many hobbies and activities (John).  Through his entries in these journals, Tolstoy instructs through almost 200 years of time to live by his example. 

While he may or may not have referred to these factors as contributors to his wellspring of creativity, he was ritualistic with his days.  It’s reasonable to believe that any departure from his habits and plans would have stifled his creative processes.  Starting with getting up early: 

The Early Bird Gets the Ideas.  Every morning, Tolstoy would wake up at 5:00 am, utilizing the calm before the storm that was the impending day.  As he very well may have understood, the brain is at its most creative just after waking up.  Which stands to reason – as you dream, you are submerged within your subconscious - the prefrontal cortex is at its most engaged (John), and this does not simply vanish upon waking.  A peaceful and perhaps exceedingly early rise from sleep not only benefited Tolstoy, but also many other writers.  Indeed, Ernest Hemingway, Immanuel Kant, Frances Trollope, Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath, Haruki Murakami, and many others all share the same hour of arousal from sleep: 5:00 am (give or take one hour in some cases).  This is a trait rather unique to writers, as visual artists who share the same early-rising habits are fewer and further between (Currey).  It’s a pattern too overwhelmingly common to ignore.

A Cluttered Mind is a Sign of an Empty Bibliography.  As should be expected from a man born an aristocrat that decided to live as a peasant; Tolstoy embraced simplicity.  And with that simplicity came the relinquishment of pettiness and typical human strife.  He understood the need to move slow and steady.  While this would no doubt prove useful to most, it does conflict with the basic tenets of lifestyle choice that most every other current author celebrates.  What everyone should glean from this however is the need to tackle one idea at a time.  This period of vast literacy has also in turn plagued us with over-stimulation.  Amateur writers are exceedingly prone to tackling a story idea, abandoning it, and moving onto one that they think is better.  Tolstoy stuck with one story at a time, and this will be found universally among most successful authors. 

Gold is only obtained by sifting: In one of Tolstoy’s private diaries, he shared a “writer’s algorithm.”  In it, he wrote the words, “Write 1) in black, without considering the places and correctness of the expression of thoughts; 2) rewrite, excluding everything superfluous and giving the real place to every thought, and 3) rewrite, correcting the incorrectness of the expressions.” (Hackney) Austin Hackney, author of the article, describes this as “the single best piece of writing advice [he has] ever read.” In short: 1) Write down your ideas.  2) Trim the fat.  3) Refine what remains.  

If you find yourself lamentful over the perceived simplicity of this method, then you’ve come to the wrong essay.  If we’re to take it upon ourselves to learn from the authors in this paper, it is best to embrace simplicity now.  As Tolstoy would say, “Strong people are always simple,” and so are strong artists.  The overstimulating nature of modern day mentioned earlier is the downfall of many would-be authors.  If you won’t take Tolstoy’s word for it, take Van Zant’s, “Be a simple kind of man and be something you love and understand.”  As though taken straight from the mind of Tolstoy himself, those words ring well and with a wide audience even in this generation.

Agatha Christie

         World famous writer, Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, or just Agatha Christie, was an Englishwoman born in 1890 who penned over 66 novels and 14 short story collections as well as over 20 stage plays before her death in 1976.  Known as the “Queen of Crime” she was the leading figure in the literary movement known as “The Golden Age of Detective Fiction” and remains the best-selling fiction writer of all time with an astounding $4 billion in sales (“List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia”).  As a creator of crime-fiction, it was very well within her realm of expertise to implement plot twists, small details for the reader, and to concoct feasible, or at least believable, structures for a crime.  Just the same as successful criminals need to carefully plan every step, Agatha had to do the same.

         Take Note.  Agatha Christie had the unique talent for realizing stories from everyday events of her life.  A naturally observant woman, she would consistently take notes on the goings on in her day-to-day routine and would then translate them into story ideas.  But it wasn’t her own life through which she exclusively drew inspiration, but the lives of others.  A borderline voyeur, Christie would frequent public facilities like tea shops and restaurants and home in on the private conversations around her.  Described by her grandson, Mathew Prichard, “[she was] a person who listened more than she talked, who saw more than she was seen.”  (“How Christie Wrote”). A reassuring parallel between Christie and Tolstoy is their penchant for writing down their days.  But whereas Tolstoy wrote in preparation for the day, Christie wrote about them as she experienced them.  So much so, and very contradictory to Tolstoy, she would carry twelve notebooks with her at any given time in preparation of decorating them with her collected eavesdroppings.  Her notes were so copious that she would often lose track of them in the storm of frenzied musings born of merely listening to her surroundings, despite the careful categorization and labeling she practiced when writing in her notebooks (Riches).  As well, they have since been compiled and analyzed by John Curran in his 2009 book titled “Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks” (“How Christie Wrote”).  This book’s mere existence should highlight well enough just how extensive her journal entries were.

         Writing is less than half the battle.  Along with jotting down notes inspired by strangers unaware of their surveillance, most of the work that went into her book was not that of completing the finished novel.  The vast majority of her preparation for a book came from her connecting the entries in her notebooks.  Her son-in-law, Anthony Hicks, went so far as to claim that she was barely ever seen writing and she “never shut herself away, like other writers do,” (“How Christie Wrote”).  In short, writers today seem fixated on tackling the final project as soon as possible.  But Christie, as well as Tolstoy have both demonstrated the need for religiously prepping a story before actually writing one.

         Longhand or no hand.  Spare me another brief departure back to Tolstoy to illustrate the fact that he was born 40 years before the first typewriter was invented (“Research Guides: This Month in Business History: Production on the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer Began”), so it is a given that he wrote longhand at least until he was 40.  He opted to stick to writing longhand and dictating his works to a secretary (“Research Guides: This Month in Business History: Production on the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer Began”).

         Back to Christie.  The typewriter was around her whole life and she was no stranger to using it, but she too primarily stuck religiously to an analog method.  Pen to paper, no middleman.  She would then convey her writings into a Dictaphone whereafter a secretary would type it out with a typewriter, subsequently handing it back to Christie so she could make the adequate adjustments by hand once again.  Both Tolstoy and Christie felt inclined to writing longhand despite the ease that a typewriter could supply them with.

         The benefits of writing longhand are now well documented and proven through a plethora of neuroscientific research.  The inevitability of moving and writing slower than on a typewriter or computer forces the writer to think more about what they are writing, this, I find, is probably the most important boon of longhand.  But it’s not limited to this.  The act of writing longhand boosts creativity in that the individual characters of the language you're using are in themselves drawings.  Drawings you repeat.  Drawings to add flair to.  Maybe you dot your ‘I’s with hearts.  Maybe the tails of your ‘y’s and ‘g’s are stylistically elongated.  Maybe the notebooks in which you write are so chock-full of musings, you have to get creative with how you write in the margins.  Much the same as I imagine Dame Agatha Christie did, if her journals were as full to bursting as her family and peers claimed they were.

         Of course, it’s not just Tolstoy and Christie to whom this was an essential component of their writing.  Joyce Carol Oates, Ernest Hemingway, J.K. Rowling and Neil Gaimen all do this as well  (Prevost).  

And seeing as how this is Ernest Hemingway’s second appearance on a list of people that I’m suggesting you adopt the habits of, now is the time to point out that everybody has individual styles, and some may work in direct opposition to your productivity while benefiting others.  Obviously, some can be completely self-destructive.  

Speaking of self-destructive people who also write longhand:

Stephen King

         An introduction and explanation for Stephen King almost seems superfluous due to his ubiquity in modern day pop culture, but the depths of the man’s talents and contributions to literature warrant intense elaboration.  Born in 1947, and working since 1967, he has authored over 77 books and has had quite a stint in the film industry in the past 55 years and is showing no signs of slowing down despite being a septuagenarian and an ex-drug addict/alcoholic.  His productivity is synonymous with him as a writer.  And with an estimated $350 million in sales, his industriousness is matched by his staggering popularity, especially within his country of origin: The United States (“List of Best-selling Fiction Authors – Wikipedia”).

         Only bad ideas need help.  King makes no secret about having an overactive imagination.  In one interview, he compares it to being stuck in a crammed elevator at all times (Parker).  As mentioned before, this is reminiscent of problems facing many other writers today. And just like those struggling writers, King expresses that he does indeed have difficulty sticking to one idea, but he maintains that it is necessary to focus on one project at a time, much in the same vein as Tolstoy.  Contrary to Christie, however, he never writes down his ideas.  He calls it “immortaliz[ing] something that should go away,” he goes on to claim that bad ideas are the ones that will fade from memory.  The good ideas invariably stay.

         King’s position on these things births an interesting juxtaposition to the rest of this study, which shows that it isn’t always necessary to obsessively take notes, but it might be very necessary for many others.  The middle-ground on this is to stick to one idea, and not acknowledge the others until the original project is finished.  And this is also not to say that King doesn’t write in longhand either

         What if?  As King stated on his website once upon a time, “I get my ideas from everywhere. But what all of my ideas boil down to is seeing maybe one thing, but in a lot of cases it's seeing two things and having them come together in some new and interesting way, and then adding the question 'What if?'”  “What if is always the key question.”

         There’s no denying that some people have more potent imaginations than others, and King’s imagination is one of the most colossal the human race has ever seen.  But “What if” is a question each author should be asking themselves as much as possible.  Whether the question be accelerated by a dream, like The Shining, he still asked before going to sleep that night, “What if?" - “What if this hotel my family and I are currently alone in was haunted?” (Colyard).

         There is no story central.  King has made it very clear through social media posts, as well as his book, On Writing, that there is no “idea dump” (“King”).  Stories must come to him through life.  He tackles his day-to-day experiences with mindfulness and creativity.  He takes individual experiences that mean nothing or are commonplace and puts them together: Hence his fascination with everyday household objects coming to life and telekinesis.  He ponders the what-ifs and adds his own King flair.  

He once compared it to a peanut butter cup, saying that chocolate and peanut butter are two totally different things, but it’s the combination of them that creates something wholly new and different. 

         This should encourage writers to never force ideas, but to instead absorb as much of the world around them.  Whether it be through books, movies, or simply taking a walk and noticing something, the ideas that come to you on their own are the ones you should heed.  Life is a story in itself, living yours is the best way to create others.

Conclusion

         At the end of this study, you, as well as I, should see the staggering similarities between these three literary giants.  While no writing process is identical to another, there are tools and routines that these authors and many others would swear by.  But it must also serve as a lesson in that there is no exact way to come up with a story.  If there was, you and I would have heard about it by now.  Writing is not easy and is not a job for listless slackers.  It requires originality, discipline, experience, dedication, and willpower – among many other things.

         As we’ve seen, the following traits demonstrated in this paper alone, with a mere three sample authors have yielded a remarkable recognition of commonality.  

-          Get up early.  Just as the sun is rising, you should too.  Utilize the fading memorials of your subconscious and ideas will follow.

-          Write longhand.  While all stories must eventually be processed into print, the creation of it should strictly involve longhand.  This benefits your mind as well as the story.

-          Disregard the final draft. You must never recognize the beginning of any writing venture as the birth of a “final draft.”  Treat the idea as a child.  Help it grow into what it needs to be and recognize it as complete in hindsight.

-          Keep journals. While Stephen King opposes writing down ideas, and Agatha Christie was the exact opposite, this does not mean you can’t catalogue your day.  Write your thoughts and experiences, this will refine your writing talents, and you get to write in that miraculous longhand every day.

-          Stick to one project at a time.  Whether ideas flood your mind, or if they come once in a blue moon, they always need to sit on the backburner to your current project.  In some cases, it might not be impossible to implement the new story idea into the current one for added complexity.

 

Works Cited:

Leo Tolstoy:

·         John, Richard P. “What Leo Tolstoy Can Teach Us About Creativity and Productivity.” Medium, 22 Nov. 2017, medium.com/thecreativitytoolbox/what-leo-tolstoy-can-teach-us-about-creativity-and-productivity-9ffc5f8c61cd.

o   (John)

·         Hackney, Austin. “Leo Tolstoy’s Algorithm for Writers.” Leo Tolstoy’s Algorithm for Writers, 21 June 2021, writingcooperative.com/leo-tolstoys-algorithm-for-writers-17fbec8b5c83.

o   (Hackney)

·         Messenger, Robert. “Tolstoy and His Ремингтонъ Десять Typewriter.” Oz.Typewriter: Tolstoy and His Ремингтонъ Десять Typewriter, 15 June 2014, oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2014/06/tolstoy-and-his-typewriter.html.

o   (Messenger)

Agatha Christie

·         “How Christie Wrote.” How Christie Wrote - Agatha Christie, www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/how-christie-wrote. Accessed 8 Nov. 2022.

o   (“How Christie Wrote”)

·         Riches, Tony. “Agatha Christie’s Writing Habits.” The Writing Desk: Agatha Christie’s Writing Habits, 1 Feb. 2014, tonyriches.blogspot.com/2014/02/agatha-christies-writing-habits.html.

o   (Riches)

Stephen King

·         Parker, James. “Stephen King on the Creative Process, the State of Fiction, and More.” Stephen King on the Creative Process, the State of Fiction, and More - the Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/stephen-king-on-the-creative-process-the-state-of-fiction-and-more/237023.

o   (Parker)

·         Colyard, K. W. “Where Does Stephen King Get His Ideas? Here Are the Creepy Origins of 10 Terrifying Tales.” Bustle, 6 Oct. 2016, www.bustle.com/articles/185093-where-does-stephen-king-get-his-ideas-here-are-the-creepy-origins-of-10-terrifying-tales.

o   (Colyard)

·         King, Stephen. On Writing. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2000. Bowker, https://doi.org/10.1604/9780684853529.

o   (King)

Others:

·         Currey, Mason. “Is Waking up Really Early the Secret to Artistic Success?” Slate Magazine, 17 Apr. 2013, slate.com/culture/2013/04/daily-rituals-is-waking-up-early-the-secret-to-artistic-success.html.

o   (Currey)

·         “Research Guides: This Month in Business History: Production on the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer Began.” Production on the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer Began - This Month in Business History - Research Guides at Library of Congress, 1 Jan. 1974, guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/march/typewriter-production-began.

o   (“Research Guides: This Month in Business History: Production on the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer Began”)

·         “List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia.” List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia, 13 June 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_fiction_authors.

o   (“List of Best-selling Fiction Authors - Wikipedia”)

·         Foy, George. “The Creative Benefits of Writing Longhand.” Psychology Today, 1 Nov. 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shut-and-listen/202205/the-creative-benefits-writing-longhand.

o   (“Foy”)

- Prevost, Chad. “8 Legendary Authors You Wouldn’t Believe Write in Longhand.” Medium, 14 June 2021, medium.com/big-self-society/8-legendary-authors-you-wouldnt-believe-write-in-longhand-902db0f643c.

- (“Prevost”)