Ernest Hemingway was a great American writer. He was a craftsman and would rise early to write. His work received a lot of honor including Pulitzer and Nobel Prize. He was one of the most revered writers of the 20th century. He never documented any of his writing strategies. However, he wrote various letters to friends, publishers and other writers about writing tips. These letters were compiled into the book Ernest Hemingway on writing by Larry Phillips. This book contains reflections on his writing process and what he thought about writing.
We can learn very important writing tips from this book. The following are some of the greatest tips on writing an essay.
Know what you are writing
The best way to articulate something in writing is to have knowledge about that particular thing. Hemingway highlights that ‘whatever success that I have had has been through writing what I know.’ This is true in the sense that, while writing, you pour out knowledge on paper. You write about the positive and negative sides of something. You present your feelings about it. You cannot do this perfectly unless you are familiar with the subject. Therefore, to be a good writer, dwell on areas you are familiar with.
Make an emotion, do not describe it
When writing essays, we want our readers to live in our work. We want them to be part of the story. To flow with it. To feel what we are feeling. To make this happen, it depends on how we describe our emotions. Make them real. Make the reader imagine what you are feeling. Do not just describe it. Hemingway says that close observation of life is critical to writing.
It is not enough just to look at the external events. You need to notice any emotions stirred by these events. Include facts in your writing to make your story real.
What to leave out
The rule of omission dictates the result. If a writer knows much about some things and omits it, the reader will understand as though the omissions were in the text. But if the writer leaves out some things because they are not familiar with them, then the writing is incomplete. It has a lot of empty places. Again thorough knowledge on the topic helps you eliminate such loopholes.
Reading
Hemingway advises that before you embark on writing a continuation, read the previous work to create a good flow of the story.
Hemingway also points out the need to stop writing when you still have something to write about. ‘I learned never to empty the well of my writing when there was still something in the deep part of the well and allow it to refill overnight.’ This, he said, was a great way of continuing with the write-up the next day. You will still have something in mind to propel you.
Do not think about the story when you are not working on it
In his Esquire piece, Hemingway explains that if you think about a story constantly and worry about it, you will kill it before you even begin. Your subconscious will work on it and when it’s time to write it down, it will be tired. Do a lot of other activities, have exercise and get tired. This is good so that when you embark, you will have a fresh start.
Pain and pleasure of writing
To every aspiring writer, before starting this journey, prepare yourself for what it comes with. You will reach a point where you stare blankly at the page without any idea of what to write. When this happens, write the truest sentence you know, this is according to Hemingway. This will be the start of your work. This was his trick of overcoming a writer’s block. He always encouraged himself that he had written and he will always write again.
On the other hand, there are lots of pleasures of writing. First, you enjoy your work. Satisfaction comes with writing. Then you receive admiration, adulation, and publicity from work well done. If applause does not come your way, be prepared to work without it. Never give up.
Proofread and edit
To convey every emotion and feeling to the reader, you have to go through your work again and again. Hemingway preferred using a pencil when writing because he says that the pencil will give you a chance to look through your work again. The first draft was in pencil. Then he keyed in using a typewriter. He was able to go through it word by word again. Then you proof it at the last stage. This gives you more chances to improve your work.
Wrap-up
From such a great writer, we can learn every bit about what propelled him to be a successful writer of his time. Experts at customessayorder.com and writemypaperhub.com advise that the best way to learn how to write is to follow keenly in the footsteps of successful writers. The small details and rules they followed might be the door to your own greatness. Listen keenly, learn a lot before you begin your own journey.
