Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Here are some thoughts from the 1934 classic “Becoming a Writer” by Dorothea Brande.

I recently read Ray Bradbury’s book on writing. In it, he referred to a book written by Dorothea Brande in 1934 titled “Becoming a Writer.” I bought a used copy ($5 with shipping) and finished reading it.

Here are some words from Brande.

On working toward effortless writing, two exercises.

First,

The best way to do this is to rise half an hour, or a full hour, earlier than you customarily rise. Just as soon as you can – and without talking, without reading the morning’s paper, without picking up the book you laid aside the night before – begin to write.

She advocates doing this every morning. Do not reread what you have already written. Not yet.

Second, (paraphrasing)

Pick a time each time when you will write for about 15 minutes (in addition to the morning exercise).  At that time, write. There are no excuses. Write as you write in the morning – anything at all.

Warning about the second exercise,

If you fail repeatedly at this exercise, give up writing. You resistance is actually greater than your desire to write, and you may as well find some other outlet for you energy early as late.

After doing this for several weeks, go back and read a bit of your writing. What did you write about in these seemingly haphazard writings? The answer shows your interests and where your energy lies. Now write about those things.

This is a nice book. I was a bit disappointed in that I expected more. Still, the advice and these couple of exercises are worthwhile. Especially if you think you want to write and are not sure.